Dana Hills Boys’ Basketball has had a stellar season thus far, ultimately being the solo victors of the Seaview League for the first time in school history and advancing to CIF. They finished with an overall record of 18-8 and a league record of 6-3. Junior Logan Scodeller speaks of their accomplishment: “It feels great to know all the work we put in this offseason has been successful.”
The games are full of excitement and adrenaline, and the chemistry displayed on the court is undeniable. With polished passes, flawless 3-pointers, and high free throw accuracy, it’s no wonder the Dolphins have had so much success this season. This year, the team has especially worked on relying on each other and sharing the ball as well as working on fast-paced offense, according to sophomore Collin Haugh.
In addition to technical precision and impressive communication on the court, the Dolphins carry their team bond off the court as well. Junior Niki Grguric, a transfer from JSerra, describes the team atmosphere and how their friendship with one another may be the secret to their success. “I feel like I'm playing with my friends, so the game feels a lot easier to go out and play rather than forcing [it].”
In their last league game of the season, Dana Hills secured the win over El Toro, 72-60. This win secured the Dolphins solo victory over the league.
At home, Dana Hills began their third round of play against the Diablos. Scodeller states the team “knew they needed to do” to win against Mission, and that they did. Haugh led the team with 24 individual points; Scodeller put up 14 and senior Cole Davison scored 12 points. Dana Hills had an 11-0 run in the 3rd quarter, helping in extending the lead enough to clinch a 10-point win (72-62).
Dana Hills played against Aliso for the third time during league games on Monday, Jan. 28. The Dolphins played a tight game against the Wolverines, but unfortunately came short to Aliso Niguel, who won the game 58-54.
On Friday, Jan. 25, Dana Hills faced El Toro, who were tied for first place in the Seaview League, both having a 3-2 record. After Haugh made an exceptional 2-pointer in the last two seconds, the four eight-minute quarters resulted in a tied score of 67-67. After an additional four minutes of overtime, the score was tied 75-75, thus leading to double overtime. Led by an outstanding 33 points and five 3-pointers by Haugh, the Dolphins ultimately put up 93 points on the scoreboard, winning over the Charger’s 84 points. Scodeller scored 25 points and Grguric 15 with 17 rebounds.
Grguric expressed how the season is going. “It’s going pretty good. The only problem that we have is that we are very young. We only have one contributing senior so we make a lot of ... mistakes that just shouldn’t happen. But other than that, I think we are doing pretty well.”
Scodeller agrees that the team is still inexperienced. “We need to mature as a team for sure, which we have another year to do.” It’s something that “will just take time,” according to Grguric.
The Dolphins headed to Mission Viejo to face the Diablos again, which unfortunately ended in a loss of 63-66. Grguric chalked their loss up to being “less aggressive” than their previous game against Mission Viejo.
Previous to playing the Wolverines for the second time, Dana Hills and Aliso Niguel shared first place in the Seaview League with a 2-1 record. The Dolphins opened up strong with a 19-point lead in the first half, but the Wolverines brought the heat in the second half, leading to an intense fourth quarter. Dana Hills ended up winning the game 61-50, both breaking their 10-game, nearly decade-long losing streak to Aliso Niguel and putting them in first place in the Sea View League.
On Jan. 20, the Dolphins traveled to El Toro High School. Dana Hills played an action-packed game, taking down the Chargers 58-51. Riding off of this victory, the Dolphins headed back home to play the Wolverines, their district rivals, for the second time.
The Dolphins played their next game of the season against Mission Viejo High School at home. With a roaring student section behind them, Dana had a tentative lead the majority of the game. After a nail-biting fourth quarter, Dana Hills came out on top, putting up 66 points compared to the Diablo’s 65. Much of the motivation behind winning games comes from the commitment to one another. “Our guys are committed ... A big part of our success is just wanting to win for each other,” Scodeller states.
After an outstanding record of 12-5 in pre-season, the Dolphins played in their first league game on Wednesday, Jan. 11 against Aliso Niguel High School. Both teams fought hard, but the Wolverines ultimately took the win with a final score of 65-71. While losing can affect a team’s morale, Scodeller comments that they try not to let the loss get to them. “[We] regroup, watch film and just focus on the next game. [We] can’t really dwell on the last game.”
At the end of the regular season, the Dolphins had a 7-0 record at home. Grguric talks about the student section’s impact on the team’s resolve. “It helps a lot. Whenever we have a big play it helps having that.”
The Dolphins’ played on Wednesday, Feb. 8 against Valley Christian in the first round of CIF.
Authors: Liza Charles and Quinci Lott
