Fresh off winning their regular season opener, the freshman Dons rolled into the 3-day Frosh Shootout at Alameda High on Thursday. The tournament itself featured some of the top teams in the Bay Area, including Daugherty Valley, Oakland Tech, and Alameda High.
Game 1 – James Logan Colts
Much like the other early season games, Acalanes looked to press and push the pace early against the Colts. The defense created several steals and deflections in the early minutes, but the Dons were unable to convert the turnovers into points. Both teams struggled offensively, and the score was just 4-2 in favor of the Colts at the halfway mark of the first period. With 3:20 to go, however, the Dons came alive. Brandon Blatteis reeled off 8 straight points and Nick Zagorov followed with a 3 of his own for a 13-4 lead. The Colts fought back with defense and rebounding, leaving the Dons with a 15-11 lead after the first period.
Both teams cooled off again in the second, with James Logan scoring the only basket in the first three minutes. Grady Branagh came in and grabbed two tough boards, sparking a run by the Dons that included baskets by Zagorov, Blatteis, and Brayden Sarbiewski. James Logan hit a 3 at the buzzer to make it Dons 27, Logan 26 at the half.
The third quarter was the Dons’ best quarter and basically decided the game. Acalanes played crisply from start to finish, finding their groove on offense and making everything tough on defense. Aca outscored Logan 21 to 10, with six different players putting up points, including a clever wraparound pass on the low block from Frankie Rocca to Mason Andersen for a layup.
The Colts hit 3 three-pointers in the fourth period but never really threatened, and the Dons ended the game on top, 63 to 49.
Game 2 – Alameda Hornets
With their win over James Logan, Acalanes moved into the winner’s bracket to face tournament host, Alameda, in a semi-final game. The Hornets team of freshmen and sophomores featured both depth and size, posing a stiff challenge for the Dons. Aca came out with pressure and got two quick steals and layups for an early 4-2 lead. But the Hornets settled down quickly and began to pass through the press, leading to several open looks that Alameda converted. Every Don starter got on the board in the first, but Alameda jumped out to an 18-13 lead after one.
Aca hung tough in the second, despite several hard calls from the refs, including a surprising but blatant missed goal-tending call that led to a technical foul on Coach Richards. All in, it was a 6 point swing (missed call, made layup on the other end, two technical free throws) that made the hill climb that much higher. The Dons scratched out a 14-14 draw in the quarter to keep the margin at 5 at the break.
Aca started the third on fire. Pengyu Chen beat his man off the bounce for two; Nick Zagorov hit a three from the wing; and Zubin Krishnan found a lane and finished a textbook lefty layup. Brandon Blatteis followed a minute later with another lefty layup. The 9 to 2 run gave the Dons a 36-34 lead just two minutes into the 3rd quarter. That lead lasted only a few seconds when the Hornets got a long pass behind the defense and scored a layup of their own. Aca wouldn’t score again in the quarter. What had been fire turned to ice when the Dons missed their next 8 shots, including 7 open three-pointers. The Hornets took a different tack and kept attacking the rim on the break and in the half court. They scored 7 straight baskets in the paint or at the rim, finishing the quarter with an And-1 to take a 47-36 lead into the fourth.
Both teams made adjustments to begin the fourth. The Hornets came out in a zone, presumably to keep Acalanes shooting from the outside. The Dons came out determined to get to the rim, which they did repeatedly. Chen and Zagorov got inside three times each for a layup or foul. Blatteis (2) and Woehrle (1) broke the cold streak from outside for threes, and Aca won the quarter handily 20 to 14. But Alameda got to the rim themselves and converted enough free throws at the end to close out the Dons by five, 61 to 56.
Game 3 – Oakland Tech Bulldogs
The loss to Alameda put Acalanes into the third place game against pre-tournament favorite Oakland Tech, who lost their semi-final matchup against powerhouse Daugherty Valley. As the teams lined up for the tip, the Bulldogs looked to have the size advantage, while the Dons seemed to have the shooting edge. And the first quarter played out exactly so. Aca scored 18 points on six three pointers; five from Brandon Blatteis and one from Frankie Rocca. Oakland scored six baskets at the rim to go along with two three-pointers. On the first possession alone, the Bulldogs grabbed four offensive rebounds before putting it in. The net result was an 18-18 tie after one.
The second quarter echoed the first, with Blatteis adding two more threes to go with treys from Brayden Sarbiewski and Nick Zagorov. The Bulldogs continued to pressure the basket, but the Dons started to match their physicality and limited them to just three made two-point baskets in the quarter. Oakland did get to the line twice and made all four free throws to go with one three-pointer. Zagorov got to the rim for two, and Rocca earned the only trip to the line for the Dons all night, converting 1 of 2 free throws. When the halftime horn blew, Acalanes led by two, 33 – 31.
The Dons’ hot shooting pulled Oakland out of their zone to start the second half, and Aca immediately attacked the rim. Pengyu Chen blew by his defender four times in the quarter for strong finishes at the rim, and Cash Woehrle hit a short floater after beating a closeout. The Bulldogs continued to pound the boards against the smaller Dons, and it paid off with eight more points in the paint. At the midway point, the Dons went to a bigger frontcourt to slow Oakland down at the rim. Blatteis added five quick points to help Aca keep pace with Oakland, and the two teams played to a hard fought draw in the quarter until Kainoa Brinkman hit a high-arcing three right at the buzzer. Acalanes took a five point lead into the fourth, 51 – 46.
The final eight minutes could hardly have been more exciting. Sarbiewski gave the Dons a 7-point lead by grabbing two offensive rebounds and getting the putback to fall. Oakland got fouled going to the basket and converted one of two free throws. Chen grabbed a loose ball and laid it in for an 8-point lead. Oakland got inside for two. Brinkman hit a three for the Dons, now up 9. Aca forced two Bulldog turnovers, but couldn’t capitalize, perhaps signaling a shift in momentum. Oakland hit two straight threes to cut the lead to 3. Three point attempts by Rocca and Sarbiewski just rimmed out. Oakland went hard to the rim for three straight buckets, one off a turnover in the backcourt.
Still, the Dons kept fighting. Sarbiewski grabbed another offensive rebound and got a steal. Zagorov found Chen on a beautiful interior pass for two. Back and forth it went. Aca had chances from three; the Bulldogs kept forcing it inside. With 50 seconds to go, Acalanes was down by one and forced an Oakland turnover with stifling defense on an inbounds pass. The Dons inbounded the ball and had Krishnan set a high screen for Zagorov, who penetrated the lane and shook his defender, but he was called for traveling as another help defender jumped at him. With little time left, Aca was forced to foul, and Oakland converted both. Coach Richards called a timeout to set up a final play. Sarbiewski’s screen for Blatteis on the low block got him some space, but an alert Bulldog defender raced down court and stole the ball before the pass could be made for the potential tying shot. Bulldogs win, 65 – 62. The Dons showed great heart and resiliency fighting for what was nearly the signature win of this early season.
Next game: Marin Catholic – Thursday 12/12 @ 7pm – @ Campolindo H.S.