Entering the Friday night showdown, Aragon had a lot to prove and a lot to make up for. Following their first football loss to Hillsdale in the last 23 years, the boys varsity basketball team had recently come up short against the Knights, 53-51, in their previous matchup at home. However, the Dons had a chance Friday to end their season – and Hillsdale’s brief win streak against Aragon – on a high note in their eventual 57-53 win.
Although the Knights were tight on the Dons’ tail the entire game, the Knights would be unable to gain the lead as Mason hit a dagger three in the clutch from the top of the key. However, Low’s three-point-play to bring the Knights within 50-54 with 27.2 seconds left.
After losing the tip off, the Dons reassembled on defense and displayed tough tenacity around their basket. With a starting lineup consisting completely of seniors in honor of senior night, senior center Scott Becker chipped in with three quick steals to get the Dons started. Dons’ three-point specialist senior forward Billy Mason began his night by draining a deep three mid-way through the first quarter as the Dons finished the quarter leading 15-11.
To begin the second quarter, junior forward Kimon Economou swished his first three of the night, while freshman guard Davion Cox hit his second three of the night a few possessions later to put the Dons up by eight.
Still, the Knights refused to let the Dons pull away with a big lead at halftime. Led by senior guard Collin Low, Hillsdale consistently maneuvered their way around the perimeter also taking advantage of senior forward Adam Cook’s work on the boards. As the second quarter came to an end, the Knights entered the locker room down 24-19.
After the Dons extended their lead to 39-28 in the third quarter, the game turned towards a dramatic, nail biting ending as the Knights were able to reduce the deficit heading into clutch time. Senior guard Adam Schembri got the Knights going in the fourth quarter with a quick three followed by a layup from Cook off of a Cox turnover.
Just like that, Hillsdale was back in business. With 2:07 left in the game, Schembri stood at the top of the key a good several feet beyond the arc and shocked everybody in the gym by pulling up and draining a three-pointer to cut Aragon’s lead to one.
Then, on the inbounds, Schembri committed a steal that would have brought the game within a single possession, but he missed the layup. After Cox’s clutch free throws off the Knight’s intentional foul, the Dons finally tasted victory once again over their rival Hillsdale 57-53, ending their season with a 8-16 overall record and 4-8 league record in South division play.
