Boys Varsity Basketball Handles Concord with Depth, Defense, and a Little Teen Beat Energy

The Dons traveled to Concord, CA on Friday night, a city that is home to the 24th-ranked boys basketball team in the entire state of California.

Fortunately for Acalanes, that team is De La Salle.

The Dons were actually facing Concord High, who are ranked 1,087th in the state. For those wondering, there are 1,482 high school boys teams in California.

So yes — mathematically speaking — this was a game the Dons were expected to handle.

And handle it they did.

But what made this one fun wasn’t just the final score…
It was the depth, the defense, and the fact that the Dons’ supporting cast made a statement that echoed all the way back to Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Evan Palmer: Instant Offense, Maximum Efficiency

Let’s start with one of the biggest bright spots of the night:

Junior Evan Palmer delivered a huge spark in limited minutes, scoring 6 points on a flawless 2-for-2 from three-point range in just 9 minutes, while adding 2 rebounds.

Quick release. Confident stroke. No hesitation.

The VBBR is starting to suspect Evan may enjoy shooting in Concord.

And speaking of Palmer…

We’ve also uncovered rare archival footage of Evan’s father, Corydon “Teen Beat” Palmer — Fort Wayne, Indiana’s former heartthrob — already honing the photographic instincts that would later (quite literally) pay off. Today, he forms one half of the unstoppable VBBR photo duo alongside Jer Hembrador, proving that greatness runs in the family…sometimes with a camera instead of a jump shot.

And the VBBR would be remiss not to note Cory’s absolutely legendary hair in this photo — the kind of effortless flow that, in today’s era, probably would’ve landed its own NIL deal with a shampoo company. Your humble author can only admire it from afar, having not experienced that level of follicular excellence since the Reagan administration.

And based on this shot, we have hereby found our 2nd good-looking parent to go on the Boosters Mt. Rushmore, right next to Sherrie Quinn. Congrats, Cory!

Of course, that still leaves two spots remaining…and the oddsmakers currently have the self-centered VBBR author as the betting favorite to claim one of them, despite overwhelming evidence that this would be a catastrophic misuse of national monument space.

Aakash Agarwal: Strong Minutes and “Cujo” Bloodlines

Next up: Aakash Agarwal, who continues to provide real value in the paint.

In 12 minutes, Aakash went:

7 points on 3-for-6 shooting
5 rebounds
1 assist
1 block

Where does he get those blocking instincts?

Well, once again, the VBBR has done the sleuthing so you don’t have to.

Here is his father, Arjun “Cujo” Agarwal, working on blocking everything in sight on the ice in Toronto.

The apple does not fall far from the crease.

Gavin Dodge: Dunks, Steals, and a First-Half Takeoff

Gavin Dodge came out flying — literally.

He had a strong first half that included two high-flying dunks, which officially doubled the squad’s Dunk-o-Meter reading on the season (joining Preston and Landon as certified rim attackers).

Gavin finished with:

10 points
5 steals

All in limited minutes.

Efficient. Explosive. And apparently determined to remind everyone that gravity is optional.

The Hoods: A Steals Clinic

The Hood twins were everywhere.

Cam Hood led the Dons in scoring with 16 points, including two three-pointers, while stuffing the stat sheet with:

5 steals
4 rebounds
3 assists

Meanwhile, Julian Hood matched his brother with 5 steals of his own and added a three-pointer as well.

That’s 10 combined steals — an Acalanes brothers record for one game.

And naturally, this leads us to their mother…

The VBBR has obtained rare archival footage of Sharon Hood (center below, proudly sporting a turtleneck!) back at Pascack Valley High School in Hillsdale, New Jersey — already displaying the same calm confidence and quiet swagger that her sons now bring to the defensive end of the floor.

Sharon, we are told, was the full package: soccer captain, violinist, and a dominant 400-meter runner. In other words, she was basically the Pascack Valley version of a five-star recruit…just with more extracurriculars and better time management.

Also pictured is Eddie (right), who, bless his heart, was simply along for the ride.

Much to Eddie’s dismay, Sharon eventually moved on — reportedly in search of New Jersey’s version of Cory “Teen Beat” Palmer: better hair, more confidence, and a little more varsity energy.

History is complicated.
The steals are not.

Big Contributions All Around

This was also a great night for contributions up and down the roster:

A.J. Hastings filled the stat sheet with 12 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists, continuing to be the steady presence that keeps everything connected.
Senior Landon Deily added 6 points and 2 rebounds, bringing needed physicality and energy.
Bryce Mansour, per usual, was efficient and impactful: 4 points, 1 steal, and his signature team-first toughness in limited minutes.
Shea Stahl chipped in 2 points, plus a block and an assist, doing the little things that matter in February.

This was a complete team win — the kind of performance good programs stack up late in the season.

Final Thoughts

The Dons defended, shared the ball, and got meaningful contributions up and down the roster.

The steals were absurd. The dunks were real. The parent lore was, as always, unavoidable.

And the Mt. Rushmore committee remains…ongoing.

Next Up: Senior Night

Next up for the Dons is Senior Night on Monday at 7:30pm vs. College Park, the final regular season contest of the year.

Come out, get loud, and celebrate this group the right way.

Go Dons!

The Concord students were tremendous on Senior Night.

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