The local fire marshalls must have been on break Friday night
when Hollister visited the darkened gymnasium on the campus of Live
Oak High.
MORGAN HILL – The local fire marshalls must have been on break Friday night when Hollister visited the darkened gymnasium on the campus of Live Oak High.
Surely the crowd – there to see two of the top boys hoop teams in the Central Coast Section – far exceeded capacity, whatever that may have been.
The game had enormous meaning. A win by the Balers would have given them a foothold on second place in the Tri-County Athletic League while a loss would put them in a flat-footed tie with the Acorns and two games behind Salinas with four games left. In addition, the victor would have a leg up in seeding for the upcoming Division I tournament.
The Acorns, the tallest team in the CCS, dwarfed the Balers throughout, skillfully denying first pass and, in the process throttled Hollister 54-45.
The 45-point total was the lowest amount scored in one game for the Balers since they scored the same number in a victory over North County Dec. 12. The Balers scored a season-low 41 points in a loss to Newark Memorial Dec. 5.
The Balers (18-5, 4-2) had a mere 11 points in the first half, largely due to the Acorns’ (18-4, 4-2) stingy defense.
“Defense was the key for us tonight,” said Acorns coach Brett Paolucci. “We didn’t give them the offensive rebounds we gave them the last time we played them.”
“We came out stagnant in the first half and didn’t have continuity in our offense,” said Hollister head coach David Kaplansky. “Live Oak came out aggressive and took us out of our game. We played better in the second half. I’m proud of the way my kids came back and made it a game.”
The Balers were left for dead when guard Broc Sondgroth started to heat up from the perimeter. Sondgroth canned back-to-back three’s towards the end of the third period and the Balers trailed 33-24. Sondgroth dished to center Anthony Butler for a hoop and the Balers had closed to seven with plenty of time left. Sondgroth had a good look at another three, which would have closed it to four, but it barely missed.
The Acorns, following a rugby scrum at their end, were awarded the ball out of bounds via a possession arrow with 3.8 seconds left in the third. Live Oak ran an inbounds play to perfection and Miles Curley had an easy layin for a crucial hoop right before the horn sounded.
The Acorns began to extend the lead as the Balers, who had bothered the Acorns late in the third period with full-court pressure, began to tire. Live Oak broke the press twice for hoops, one for a jam by 6-foot-10 Maciek Bratkowski. Joel Wright milked a trey and the Acorns had their biggest lead of the night at 44-27.
The Balers, though, took advantage of two quick Acorns turnovers and closed the lead once again. Eric Davis netted two free throws with 1:20 remaining and the Balers were within of a mini-miracle 49-40. Moments later, Kyle Sharp’s three-point basket closed the gap to six with 18 seconds left. But, Curley hit the front end of a one-and-one, which meant the Balers needed three possessions to tie or take the lead.
The mini-miracle never happened.
Sharp, who didn’t get in the flow offensively until late in the game, ended up with 10 points, nine points below his average.
“I was cold out there,” said Sharp. “The first half killed us, but we cut the lead in the second half. Live Oak plays good defense. They can guard the post well.”
The Balers had 16 turnovers, though three in the fourth quarter should have gone the Balers’ way. Another factor which led to an Acorns’ win was the dreaded free throw line. The Balers shot just 13-of-25, or 52 per cent, while the Acorns were 10-of-14, 71 per cent.
“We dug ourselves a deep hole and we couldn’t get out,” said Kaplansky. “We have to come out strong against Gilroy. Anybody can beat anybody in this league. There is so much parity.”
Baler bits: The Balers host the Mustangs this Wednesday at 7 p.m. The Mustangs are 0-6 in conference, but were tied with Salinas after three quarters last Thursday before being outscored 21-9 in the fourth period. – Curley led the Acorns with 16 points and had a breakaway dunk to wow the homecoming crowd. – Sondgroth had a game-high 19 points on five 3’s and four-for-six free throw shooting. – The Balers were 6-of-13 from beyond the arc while the Acorns were just 2-for-11.
Hollister 6 5 15 19 – 45
Live Oak 14 7 10 19 – 54
H – Sharp 4 1-4 10, Butler 3 4-6 10, Sondgroth 5 4-6 19, Davis 0 4-6 4, Zanella 0 0-2 0, Rubio 1 0-0 2. Totals 13 13-25 45.
LO – Bratkowski 4 0-0 8, Pearson 1 2-3 4, Curley 7 2-4 16, Wright 1 0-1 3, Chappell 4 2-2 10, Deem 1 0-0 2, Conner 1 0-0 2, Moquin 2 1-2 5, Garcia 0 2-2 2, Mayor 0 2-2 2. Totals 21 10-14 54.
3-point goals: Sharp, Sondgroth 5 (H); Curley, Wright (LO).
