The San Mateo Bearcats varsity boys basketball team completely controlled the game en route to a 55-33 win over the host Aragon Dons on Jan. 31.
The Bearcats started the game hot from the field, while the Dons did not register a point in the first quarter. The Dons trailed 9-0 after the quarter, and their struggles would continue throughout the rest of the game.
“We have been struggling offensively all season,” junior forward Kimon Economou says. It was just another one of those games where nothing was falling for us.”
Senior guard Billy Mason would finally end the shooting drought on a fast break layup at the start of the second quarter in order to give the Dons their first basket of the game. However, the Dons offensive struggles showed and an accumulation of turnovers led to San Mateo points. At the conclusion of the half, the score kept the Bearcats in the lead behind a score of 18-6.
To start the second half, the Dons initiated their full court defense, drawing a handful of steals and getting out on the break to score some quick buckets. Resembling last week’s quad against Hillsdale during which the Dons were able to overcame a 17-point deficit to make it a close contest in the end, a basket by Economou along with a few fastbreak layups pulled the Dons within nine early in third quarter. However the Bearcats were able to regain their momentum and end the third quarter on a 10-0 run.
Heading into the fourth quarter leading 34-15, the Bearcats continued their excellent play. Bearcats guard senior Paolo Marumba and forward senior Kevin Attard with 13 and 11 points respectively, continued to knock shots down in the fourth. The reserves played most of the fourth for the Dons, as senior Paul Su converted on a nifty layup and junior Andrei Parala hit a corner three to shrink the large lead that the Bearcats created. However the lead was too large to overcome as the final score was 55-33 Bearcats.
The Dons previous matchup against the Bearcats featured an exciting finish Economou’s game winning three-pointer, which effectively sealed Aragon’s 56-54 victory, but the Dons never were able to really get their offense rolling this time.
The win gives San Mateo (8-12, 3-5 PAL) their third league win of the year, while the Dons (5-15, 1-7 PAL) extended their losing streak to six games.
The Dons will look to end the losing streak on Feb. 4 as they travel to play the Woodside Wildcats.
In a back-and-forth game, the Aragon Dons topped the visiting San Mateo Bearcats 48-44 in the girls varsity basketball game on Jan. 30 in their last home quad of the season.
In the the fourth quarter, the Bearcats battled back from their six-point deficit off a handful of three-point plays. With 4:38 remaining in the game, the score was even at 35-35.
Later, clutch baskets by senior guard Tiffany Chen and junior forward Brianna Reynolds carried the Dons towards the eventual win against their PAL-South Division rivals.
Capitalizing off steals early in the first quarter from sophomore guard Jen Horita and junior forward Briana Reynolds, the Lady Dons were able to score on a few fast break points right after tipoff. Still, the Bearcats’ half-court offense allowed them to keep the score tight as the first quarter finished with the Lady Dons leading 10-7.
In the second quarter, Aragon was able to further extend their lead. A majority of Horita’s eight points came off quick layups and transition. Additionally, a sequence of baskets by Reynolds were able to give the Dons a halftime lead of 20-12.
After the break, the Bearcats started with a hot shooting streak and a 10-2 run, which allowed them to draw the score even at 22 at the 4:50 mark. The first lead change for the Bearcats came a few minutes later after they split a pair of free throws, giving them a narrow one-point advantage. Consequently, senior guard Tiffany Chen helped Aragon regain their lead before closing the third up 33-27.
The Dons (8-7, 3-4 PAL) moves the Dons up to seventh place in the South division, while the Bearcats (2-13,1-6 PAL) fall to ninth place.
Chen and Reynolds shared leading-scoring honors with 13 points each. The win gave the team their fourth league win and second win over the Bearcats this season. Their next game will be a home contest against Woodside on Feb. 4.
