In a game that was in doubt for much of the contest, the Dons’ boys basketball team was able to come away with a 65-57 victory thanks to a late team surge. The Dons overcame early game mistakes and missed opportunities against the Palm Desert Aztecs and have now advanced to the second round of the state playoffs.
The Dons fell into a quick 9-0 hole against the Aztecs and didn’t seem like themselves in the first period, giving up easy turnovers and missing open shots. The Aztecs, led by senior Jonathon Serven, seemed like they had the Dons’ number early on. The Dons seemed to get into their groove, however, when junior captain Nick Prunty and junior Michael Rosenburg both hit back-to-back three point shots to kick start the Dons’ offense.
Where the Dons really early on was on defense, specifically stopping Serven, , a 6’5” senior who seemed to be nearly unstoppable from beyond the 3-point arc, hitting nearly ever shot from there in the first half. Serven also used his size and strength to be a great presence on defense for the Aztecs. In the 2nd period, Serven committed a blatant personal foul on Michael Rosenburg, shoving him to ground. Serven drew some ire from the home crowd who did not let him hear the end of it for the rest of the game. Serven eventually fouled out of the game in the final 2 miuntes
The game went back and forth for the majority of the second period with the Dons going into halftime trailing 31-27. In the third period, the Dons’ struggles re-emerged; in fact, the Dons didn’t even get on the scoreboard in the third period until there was less than 3 minutes remaining. The Aztec defense eventually cracked, and the Dons were able to put up 19 in the third. The Aztecs went into the final period clinging to a one point, 47-46, lead.
The Dons offense really opened up in the final 8 minutes. Junior Xavier Williams, who ended the game with a team-high 20 points, led the charge for the Dons in the fourth. The Aztecs appeared to have run out of gas by this time, as the Dons nearly scored at will. The Dons defense also held Palm Desert to just 10 points, the lowest number the Aztecs had in any quarter on the night. In the end, the Dons won by a rather comfortable margin, 65-57.
The victory over the Aztecs means at least one more home game for the Dons. The Dons will face the 5th seeded Oak Park Eagles on Saturday March 10th in the Claver Center gym at 7 PM. The Eagles are coming off of a blowout victory over Grant High School with a final of 72-58. The Eagles hold a record of 25-8, their last loss coming from the number one seed Alemany High School in the CIF southern section championship game.
If the Dons can get past Oak Park, there is still a chance at one more home game for them. While the Dons play the Eagles, Alemany High School will be playing Arroyo Grande High School. If Arroyo Grande can upset the number one seed, then the Dons will play them at Cathedral Catholic on the 13th. Otherwise, the Dons would make the trip up to Mission Hills to play Alemany High School.