The Dublin High School Varsity Boys Basketball team won its first two contests of the Don Nelson Classic (DNC), defeating Heritage 87-47 and Castro Valley 70-33.
Four players finished in double figures for the Gaels in their opening round win over the Patriots , led by Jalen Stokes and Evan Bautista who scored 17 points apiece. Stokes was the leading scorer for the Gaels in Friday’s win over the Trojans with 19 points, while Bautista contributed 14 points and Isaiah Wong added 11 points.
The Gaels will now face Las Lomas High School of Walnut Creek in the DNC Championship game in the Sports Complex on Saturday, December 16th at 7:00 p.m. Dublin comes into tonight’s Championship game having posted 7 consecutive victories to improve to 7-1 overall on the season. Meanwhile, the Knights come into Saturday’s final with a 4-game win streak of their own and an overall mark of 4-1.
This is the 18th annual tournament hosted by the Boys Basketball program in honor of Don Nelson. Don Nelson was a PE teacher, coach, and Athletic Director who worked at Dublin High School’s from the time the school opened in 1968 until his retirement in 2004. In addition, Don served as the Commissioner of the East Bay Athletic League for over 25 years. He has not missed a tournament game since its inception, and alumni and former staff regularly return to visit with him at his regular spot near midcourt throughout the 3-day tournament.