On Friday, Feb. 6, 2026, the DVHS mens varsity basketball team hosted their biggest rivalry game of the year against Dublin High School at home for their senior night and last league game of the season. In the previous year, Dublin had defeated Dougherty on their home grounds, but this year, the Wildcats were hoping to change the story.
Going into the game there had been a lot of buzz, with tickets predicted to sell out due to the game being known as the biggest rivalry in the Bay Area. Additionally, it was the last week of league games, so these match ups would determine what teams would make it into the EBAL playoffs. The Wildcats were hoping that California High School would be able to defeat De La Salle High School, and that they could defeat the Dublin Gaels in order to be tied for the first place seed in rankings with De La, and knock Dublin completely out of the running for a playoff spot. In the year prior, Cal High had defeated De La, and the Wildcats had lost to the Gaels. History ended up repeating itself, which left the Wildcats in the second seed in the league and De La in the first.
The night began with a successful senior night walk, honoring seniors Ankit Anand, Arjun Mann and Rashod Cotton Jr., along with the starting lineup announcements. The starting players included Cotton, sophomore Alonzo Walker III and juniors Devyn Ranola, Rylan Sevilla and Luke Hansen. Both sides of the gym were packed with hundreds of students, which led to a maximum capacity before the game even began. Crowds of people were left outside the gym, unable to attend because of how many people filled the stands.
The game began with the Gaels winning the tip off, but Sevilla was able to steal the ball right away and convert two points for the team. The match already had an intense energy, with both crowds becoming incredibly loud with their chants. The Gaels started off aggressively, attempting to body their way to the basket, but got called for travelling instead. Visually, the match up had seemed pretty fair, as both teams were similar height wise. Dublin began taking the lead, but the Wildcats were able to tie up the score 8-8 with four minutes left by making three-point shots. The Wildcats played hard on defense and fought to rebound the ball successfully on both ends of the court. For the Gaels, they tended to shoot a lot beyond the arc, but the Wildcats were able to size up to their offensive plays and gain a lead. The first quarter ended with a score of 16-14 in favor of the Wildcats.
The second quarter started off slowly, with the Wildcats not actively shooting the ball, but they played strongly on defense with Luke Hansen taking a charge for the team. The Gaels on the other hand couldn’t seem to get an adequate hold on the ball, as they were continually called for travelling and not completing their shots. By the time it was three minutes left, the two teams were tied 19-19, and the crowds began getting more and more aggressive. Head Coach Mike Hansen switched the lineups fluidly, subbing in players to attempt to get the best matchup for the game. However during the quarter, both sides seemed to be having trouble scoring and grabbing rebounds, so the quarter ended 22-21 in favor of the Wildcats.
Starting out from halftime were all the starting players in the first quarter, and the Gaels were able to take the lead from a layup. The Wildcats seemed to be struggling off the bat, while Dublin was playing effectively on offense. Both teams began trading points back and forth, switching off the lead every minute. More travel calls were called on the Gaels, and the Wildcats took this as an opportunity to call a time out. Getting back into the game, the Gaels were still getting called on travels, but the Wildcats kept missing their offensive shots, by either shooting too deep or getting the ball stolen by Dublin. The Wildcats continued to fight hard, with Ranola converting points after offensively rebounding, and with Cotton making contested shots. The quarter resulted in a score of 35-34 with Dublin in the lead.
By the fourth quarter, news had spread that Cal High had defeated De La, so there was a lot on the line for the Wildcats to beat the Gaels. Coming into what seemed to be the last quarter, the Gaels started off strong on offense, but so did the Wildcats with junior Wyatt Swan playing strongly on both sides of the court. Defensively the Wildcats were unable to get a stop or guard their man effectively, leading to open shots for the Gaels. At this point the Wildcats had racked up five fouls, while the Gaels had only two. At one minute left, the score was tied 49-49 and both teams fought to gain the lead. Both teams utilized their remaining time outs for the last minute, but were unable to gain the upperhand, leading to the first overtime of the game.
Four minutes were on the clock for the first overtime, and both teams seemed antsy to win the game. Dublin had won the tip off after both players had false started but weren’t able to convert any points. The Wildcats gained momentum when the Gaels violated the shot clock, and were able to take the lead 51-49 with two minutes left. The Wildcats pushed ahead and were leading by three points, but were unable to grab an offensive rebound, leading to Dublin junior Nick Lee hitting a three-point shot and leading the game into double overtime with a score of 53-53.
The Wildcats won the tip off during the start of double overtime, achieving the lead by two points. Now, both sides had five team fouls, making it a dangerous game to foul anyone from that point on. Both teams traded points back and forth, and the Wildcats took the lead 64-63 with 59 seconds left. Free throws were taken on either side because of the fouls, and at seven seconds left the score was 68-66 in favor of the Gaels. The Wildcats failed to make an ending layup, ending the game with another win for the Gaels.
Ranola commented at the end of the game what they need to change in order to be successful in the upcoming playoffs.
“We need to play together more. We need to move the ball and get better offensive possessions,” he reflected. “We just need to trust each other and make the little moments count, like rebounding or jumping on loose balls.”
Despite this loss, the Wildcats still gained a spot in the EBAL playoffs, while the Gaels were left behind. The matchups going into the playoffs will be De La playing the number four seed Monte Vista, and Dougherty Valley up against the number three seed Amador Valley.
As a result of this, there will be another home game for Dougherty Valley on Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026 at 7 p.m. against Amador Valley for the 2025-2026 EBAL boys basketball playoffs.
