Boys Basketball falls to Mills 63–35

After defeating Mills in an exhilarating one-point game on their home floor, the Dons traveled to Mills on Jan. 31 with a chance to sweep the season series. Entering with a 5-2 league record, the Dons were in a prime position to maintain a strong standing in PAL, but had a tough task ahead of them with the Vikings. From the tipoff, Mills took control, opening the game on a 10-2 run and ending the first quarter with a 16-5 advantage over the Dons. Opening up with a zone defense, Mills shut down the Dons’ attempts at driving to the basket, and the Dons failed to convert on their jump shots, which lead to a 33-7 Dons deficit at halftime.

Head Coach Sam Manu says, “Our passing was stagnant and not fluid at all. We’d get underneath, and [Mills senior center Eric Wright] had nice hops and would alter our shots down low. He’s about six-foot-six, and we would penetrate but then run into him and he was able to once again alter our shots.”

The lack of converting down low and not hitting open shots really proved to hurt the Dons continuously throughout the game. “It was like a snowball effect,” adds Manu. “We would miss our shots, then we would press mentally to try and get things going, and then we would drive and run into their center down low. Those three things combined to make a snowball effect.”

In the second half, it was more of the same from the Dons, as Mills kept on attacking the boards, finding quality shots and playing a tight zone defense while the Dons just could not find a rhythm offensively. Aragon opened up the second half on a quality 5-0 run starting with a quick three from senior guard Trevor Pagaduan, but that would prove to be one of the few small bursts of offense from the Dons squad. In the end, Mills emerged victorious with a final score of 63-35.
Now with a 5-3 record in league play, the Dons look to get back on track on Feb. 7 at San Mateo.