On Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026, the mens varsity basketball team at Dougherty Valley High School was able to persevere through an intense match up against Bishop O’Dowd High School, pulling away with a 59-57 win.
In their most previous match up in 2024, Dougherty walked away with a win against the O’Dowd Dragons, and subsequently, achieved a repeat performance in 2026. The game proved to be intense for both sides of the court, offensively and defensively, bringing out aggression and frustration on both teams.
The game began with O’Dowd winning the tip off, but they were unable to score. The first points of the game were then achieved by junior Sekai Burgess with a layup, assisted by junior Devyn Ranola. Throughout the first quarter the Wildcats put up a strong defensive line by utilizing man-to-man, causing the Dragons to lose the ball from their possession. The two teams fought tough battles, showcased by the multiple turnovers on both ends of the court. By the time the first quarter ended, the Wildcats had the advantage 14-11.
Starting out the second quarter, the Dragons had a few offensive fouls, which resulted in turnovers to Wildcat possession. Despite this, the Dragons had strong offense nonetheless with their sturdy power forwards and centers who were able to penetrate Dougherty’s defense and body their way to the basket. Even with those players, the second quarter still had a low amount of scoring as the teams continued to go head to head. By the end, the score was 18-22 in favor of the Dragons.
By the third quarter, both teams continued to push harder in order to create a larger point gap between the two. The two teams bounced back and forth but the Dragons were able to pull ahead of the Wildcats. Despite this, Dougherty continued to knock down threes and free throws by the top scorers of the game, junior Rylan Sevilla with 16 points and Ranola with 21 points, in an attempt to gain the lead going into the fourth. By this point, starting senior Rashod Cotton Jr. was in risk of being subbed out, as he had four fouls while the third quarter was coming to a close. Near the end, the Wildcats were able to pull ahead of the Dragons, assisted by the encore of the student section. By the end of the third quarter, both teams were tied at a score of 37-37.
When the fourth quarter began, Cotton was subbed out as a result of his five fouls, followed closely by sophomore Alonzo Walker with his five personal fouls as well. The Dragons pulled ahead with six minutes left on the clock, causing the Wildcats to become more aggressive defensively, in order to have possession of the ball. At this point in the game, the teams traded points back and forth, with the score separated by a mere one point gap. Additionally, both teams had acquired five fouls, which meant every upcoming foul would result in shooting free throws. At one minute remaining, both teams remained tied, and Burgess was put on the line for two shots. By making both, the Wildcats pulled ahead, but not for long as the score tied again with the Dragons scoring a two point shot. With the Wildcats in possession of the ball with 10 seconds left, it was a race to win the game. Sevilla dribbled the ball up the court and into the corner, where he carried out a buzzer-beater fadeaway shot. This resulted in a two point difference and a win for the Dougherty Valley varsity team.
“I felt good. We played well as a team,” Sevilla acknowledged. “A few things went bad down the stretch but we stayed together and pulled away with a win.”
Head Coach Mike Hansen had similar sentiments about the team, but continued his focus on the student section and the importance they have in team wins.
“I thought the best thing was our home crowd. The place was rocking again, finally,” Hansen said. “On the court, we found the right matchups. Our bench, our depth, and our young guys is what made the difference.”
Their next home game will be on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026 against Granada High School.
