Tuesday night’s trip to Las Lomas had all the markings of a measuring-stick game for the Dons. The Knights were coming off an impressive win over Ygnacio Valley, they were at home, and they featured a dangerous weapon in Saba Pachulia, the hot-shooting son of former Warriors great Zaza Pachulia.
If Las Lomas planned to ride Saba’s shooting to another league win, they quickly ran into a problem.
That problem was Julian Hood.
(A brief disclosure: the VBBR author was not in attendance for this game. But there are no excuses if you want to earn another Pulitzer—you dig deep, contact your sources, watch the film, and file the report. Journalism never sleeps.)
Julian Sets the Defensive Tone
The assignment of slowing down Pachulia fell squarely on Julian’s shoulders, and he embraced it. From the opening tip, Julian’s intensity, discipline, and commitment to the game plan made life difficult for Las Lomas’ top scorer. He chased, contested, denied catches, and forced tough looks all night long.
That defensive effort doesn’t always headline a box score—but it was a huge reason the Dons were able to control the game from start to finish.
And with Julian handling the heavy lifting on the defensive end, his twin brother decided to handle the other side of the job.
Cam Fills Up the Stat Sheet
With his brother locking things down, Cam Hood went to work offensively, putting on a shooting display that felt downright unfair.
Cam channeled his inner Steph Curry, scoring 17 first-half points on his way to a career-high 32-point night. He finished 11-for-17 from the field, an eye-popping 6-for-10 from three, while also adding 7 rebounds and 4 assists.
One of those assists was a beauty: Cam found Bryce Mansour on a hard cut, Bryce absorbed the contact, finished the bucket, and calmly knocked down the free throw for an old-fashioned three-point play—a perfect snapshot of how sharp and unselfish the Dons were all night.
That’s not a good game.
That’s a good season for a lot of people.
What an awesome performance.
The Dons rode that surge to a 17–11 lead after the first quarter, then blew the game open in the second to take a commanding 36–18 halftime advantage.
Supporting Cast Delivers
While Cam was filling it up, the supporting cast made sure Las Lomas never gained traction.
Jon Macleod continued his strong run, knocking down 2-of-4 from beyond the arc and grabbing 3 rebounds in just 15 minutes—another efficient, high-impact outing.
Gavin Dodge had a quieter scoring night with 8 points on 4-of-12 shooting, but his all-around game was on full display. Gavin added 8 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals, plus a Dr. J–esque reverse layup in the second half that brought a collective “ooh” from the gym.
Side-note: Zaza Pachulia could not have been a nicer guy, taking a picture with Gavin years ago.
A.J. Hastings was sharp and unselfish, going 2-for-3 from three-point range and handing out 4 assists. Three of those were very good assists.
One of them, however, was something else entirely.
The Hilsabeck Hammer
Midway through the fourth quarter, A.J. pushed the ball on a fast break, dribbled toward the free-throw line, and lofted a pass skyward. For a brief moment, the gym wasn’t sure what was happening.
Then Preston Hilsabeck appeared out of nowhere.
Preston caught the lob in stride and detonated it with authority—an alley-oop that will live on in Acalanes lore. Let’s call it “The Hilsabeck Hammer.”
It was, without question, the greatest alley-oop in the history of Acalanes basketball.
Preston finished with 8 points, 9 rebounds, and one technical foul for celebrating with a pull-up on the rim that was more impressive than any pull-ups Pete Hegseth has ever done.
Worth it. Check out the aftermath:
Closing It Out
With the outcome no longer in doubt, the Dons stayed composed, defended, and finished strong. Las Lomas never seriously threatened in the second half, and the Dons walked out with a convincing 65–51 Diablo Athletic League victory.
A complete performance.
A statement win.
Exactly what was needed.
What’s Next
The Dons are back at it Thursday night at Northgate, with a 7:30 p.m. tip in another important league matchup.
Momentum is a real thing.
And right now, the Dons have it.
Go Dons.
