Courtesy of Howard Fukunaga
Aragon’s boys and girls basketball teams faced off against Hillsdale on Feb. 10, in which both games ended with losses of 42-56 and 38-56, respectively. However, the Dons look forward to redeeming performances during the upcoming Central Coast Section playoffs.
Photos courtesy of Howard Fukunaga and James Diaz.
Girls basketball
Reporting by Veda Yama.
Last year, Aragon’s varsity girls basketball team beat Hillsdale 53-47 in a close game that secured the Dons’ Central Coast Section Division II Championship. On Feb. 10, the historic rivals had a Senior Night rematch at home in which the Dons (11-13 overall, 6-6 Peninsula Athletic League-South) fell 36-58 to the Knights (20-4 overall, 10-2 PAL-South) after an aggressive game and close-up shots.
The Knights controlled the tip and scored from within the key to start the game. But the Dons quickly answered, getting the ball to senior shooting guard Maddie McGinty after the inbound and sinking a three-pointer. Aragon played a game of quick passing around the line, with junior forward Maya Pappas drawing a foul on a drive and scoring a long two off the inbound.
The first half was an aggressive game, with both teams often fighting on the floor for the ball and drawing numerous fouls.
“The Aragon team … [is] always the most aggressive team in the PAL,” said junior Maya Pappas. “We pride ourselves in our aggressiveness. We always fight. Coming into this [game], especially against Hillsdale [who is] tough, we knew it was going to be a very, very aggressive game.”
Photos courtesy of Howard Fukunaga.
Pappas scored again off an offensive rebound, putting the Dons up 8-7. The Dons held that lead for nearly 2 minutes as the game went back and forth with neither team being able to finish at the rim. Hillsdale then broke the stagnation, forcing 2 turnovers that they converted to put them up 7-12 at the end of the first quarter.
Hillsdale once again controlled the beginning of the quarter, sinking two shots to secure a nine-point lead. However, a series of Aragon threes tied the game 16-16 before the Knights made a series of close-range shots to gain a six-point lead on Aragon. Though Pappas scored twice before the buzzer, the Dons entered the half down 20-26.
The third quarter went back and forth, with the Knights pulling ahead, the Dons closing any gaps on the backs of free throws by Pappas and a series of shots by senior shooting guard and co-captain Kayla Fukanaga and senior small forward and co-captain Grace Nai.
We pride ourselves in our aggressiveness. We always fight.
The Dons entered the fourth quarter down 32-40. Hillsdale’s aggressive man-to-man defense forced numerous turnovers that were converted to fastbreaks and numerous close-range shots. With 4:31 left in the last quarter, the Dons were down 32-52. For the second half of the last quarter, Manu put the Dons’ bench in, and Hillsdale eventually matched them. The game ended on a hook-shot, but Aragon ultimately lost 38-56.
Despite the loss, the team is excited for their CCS appearance and reflective of the work the seniors have done to get them to this point.
“Both of our teams have gone through a lot of major changes; we both lost seniors,” Pappas said. “But our programs and what we value have stayed the same. The core of this team comes down to family. At the end of the day, we’re all besties on the court and off the court, we all hang out together at each other’s houses after … practice.”
Photos courtesy of James Diaz.
Boys basketball
Reporting by Charlie Henderson.
The Dons (13-11 overall, 7-5 Peninsula Athletic League-South) came up short on their senior night in a 42-56 loss to Hillsdale (18-6 overall, 10-2 PAL-South). The loss capped off a season for the Dons that successfully qualified them for the CCS playoffs.
Even with their success prior to Friday’s game, it still leaves a sour taste in the Dons’ mouths.
“I’m disappointed with the result,” said sophomore forward Bobby Kelley. “I would have loved to pull off a win for our seniors on their last regular season game and on their senior night.”
Offensively, the Dons lacked rhythm in some spots, but if there was one bright spot, it would be the performance of senior utility player and co-captain Logan Wall. His 18 points kept the Dons in the game and he frequently broke up Hillsdale’s scoring runs.
Head coach Hosea Patton attributed the Dons’ offensive struggles to straying away from their basic offensive philosophy.
“We lost composure and started doing some individual things, and we don’t practice that,” Patton said.
Photos courtesy of James Diaz.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Dons struggled tremendously. Junior point guard Jacob Ruttenburg, who was out because of COVID, usually shuts down the opposing team’s primary ball handler or highest scoring guard. In this game, his role was filled in by Hillsdale’s senior shooting guard Brady Carson, who gave the Dons problems in the first half. He scored 11 points in the first quarter and hit a three-pointer in the first minutes of the second. His 14 points were a spark for the Knights in the first half, but he was scoreless in the second half as the Dons’ defense shut him down.
“I’m looking forward to playing every game like it’s my possible last game, [and] giving everything my all”
The Dons entered halftime down 19 points, but still managed to be in the game throughout the second half. An 8-0 run by the Dons in the third quarter, with six of the points coming from Wall, put the Dons in a prime position to get hot, but there was little support to back up Wall’s efforts. A 10-3 run by the Knights that spanned from the end of the third to the middle of the fourth killed the Dons’ momentum.
The Dons weren’t close to giving up, outscoring Hillsdale in the second half.
“They fought, even though Hillsdale led from start to finish,” Patton said. “They fought and they never quit.”
The Dons are ready to make some noise in the playoffs.
“I’m looking forward to playing every game like it’s my possible last game, [and] giving everything my all,” Wall said.
The loss on Friday night hurt, but with the return of their floor general, Ruttenburg, for the playoffs, the Dons look to make up for their shortcomings with a deep playoff run.
Photos courtesy of James Diaz.
