Final minute dooms men’s basketball in loss

After a close and hard-fought basketball game, the De Anza College men’s basketball team lost 80-77 against West Hills College on Saturday, Nov. 25 at De Anza.

With both teams struggling to keep leads on one another as they rose in score, both teams were neck-and-neck up to the final 10 seconds of the game, in which West Hills assumed possession of the ball and scored the game-winning points, giving them a 80-77 lead they would not relinquish.

The Dons came into the game strong, maintaining a steady 2-3 point lead ahead of West Hills throughout the first half.

“We put a lot of pressure on teams early on with offensive plays,” De Anza head coach Jason Damjanovic said.

Because of this, a large number of fouls amounted rather quickly for both teams, with West Hills unable to break through the margin the Dons had amassed. A slow push and pull resulted from both teams as one side attempted to pull ahead while the other attempted to close the gap in score.

At halftime, the score had broken at 39-38, with the Dons keeping a one-point lead ahead of West Hills.

“Basically, it was a lack of execution (on) the last play,” Damjanovic said.

With less than a minute remaining in the game, West Hills possesed the ball, trailing De Anza 77-76. With just over 10 seconds remaining, West Hills attempted a shot to take the lead. The shot missed, but West Hills garnered the offensive rebound. De Anza then called timeout.

When play resumed, West Hills took the ball out and was able to score a 2-pointer, giving them a 78-77 lead. Unfortunately for the Dons, they then fouled West Hills, who scored two more points on free throws and increased their lead to 80-77.

With just a few more seconds remaining, the Dons hurried the ball up the court and attempted a desperation shot to tie the game, but were ultimately unsucessful.

Through the years, the Dons have consistently played one of the most difficult and competitive schedules in the state of California, with the current season being no different.

With hopes for future games to land different outcomes, the Dons will face top-ranked Fresno City College on Wednesday, Nov. 29. Against one of the top teams in the state, they intend to win.