Wednesday January 31, 2024
Record: 21-3
“We are going to beat you.” Declared Northgate Cheerleader, Grace. Grace, who is a close friend of the Dodge and Clark families, left with a broken heart. The young Dons have made it a habit of breaking opposing fans’ heart. By beating the Northgate Broncos 62-60, the Dons finished the Diablo Athletic League with a perfect record of 12-0.
In their last game, the Dons faced a large, physical team, which they defeated with their speed and ball movement. Against Northgate, the Dons faced a fast team with great outside shooting. The first quarter flaunted Northgate talents. Acalanes started the game in usual fashion, two points by Josh Elerts. Josh poured in another bucket. Illias Kaplanes-Jones laid the ball in for two points. Yet, Northgate would not go away. The Broncos hit their second three pointer to tie the game, 10-10. Lorenzon Cangini answered with five points as the two teams exchanged baskets. The Dons found themselves leading by only two points after one quarter of play.
The beginning of the second quarter displayed great Don basketball. The ball moved nicely as Lorenzo and Chase Bahou scored. The Dons were up 23-17. Northgate would answer. A mini run by the home team had the game tied, 25-25. Acalanes then went on their own run. Arman Craig powered inside for a basket. AJ Hastings hit a three pointer. Josh scored inside. The Dons entered halftime up 35 to 27.
Like the second quarter, the Dons opened the 3rd quarter strong. Lorenzo stole the ball and scored a layup. Josh, with several defenders on him, powered inside for two points. The Dons maintained their eight-point lead. Then the Dons stopped playing their style of basketball. Instead of moving the ball and finding the open player, Acalanes would take highly contested shots and turn the ball over. Northgate used these miscues to narrow the lead. Going into the 4th quarter, the lead was only three points, 42-39.
Unfortunately, the JV hoopsters continued their miscues starting the 4th quarter. Northgate capitalized, and our game was tied. AJ hit a three pointer. Lorenzo, who scored a team high 25 points, followed with a floater. Dons up by five points. Still, Northgate feeding off the home crowds’ energy sensed an upset. The Falcons went on another mini by outrebounding the Dons. The smaller Falcons used these additional opportunities to score. The Falcons tied the game 54 to 54. The two teams would need an extra period to determine the winner.
The overtime period did not start well for the Dons. Two quick baskets put the home crowd into a frenzy. Broncos had their largest lead of the game, 58-54. Arman and Lorenzo scored, but with twenty seconds left, the Dons still found themselves down by one point, 60-59. But championship teams have magical moments. Chase stole the ball and was fouled. The point guard calmly hit the first foul shot to tie the game. Chase missed the 2nd shot, but out of nowhere, Bethel Imasuen flew in for an offensive rebound. Bethel quickly dished to Chase who dropped it for the Don’s victory. Dons 62. Broncos 60.
Nico Ortman, who played on last year’s JV team, had this to say: “There has never been a dull moment on and off the court. We have worked hard at practices, but we also love joking around with each other. It has been a great season.”
The JV Basketball team will end their season on the road. The JV hoopster will play Bishop O’Dowd, a non-league game, this Saturday, February 3, 2024. The Dons will enter this final contest at 21-3 against the Catholic powerhouse. Tipp off is at 2:30pm.