Live Oak, 2-0, looks ready to handle the TCAL league
They’re definitely the tallest team in Live Oak history. They
may be the tallest team in the history of the Central Coast
Section.
Live Oak, 2-0, looks ready to handle the TCAL league
They’re definitely the tallest team in Live Oak history. They may be the tallest team in the history of the Central Coast Section.
On Tuesday night, the Goliath-like Acorns looked like an NBA team scrimmaging a group of young boys in their 52-38 victory over Santa Teresa High School.
With the win, the Acorns are now 2-0 on the season and should be considered not only a contender for a Tri County Athletic League title but a possible CCS crown.
“Our philosophy is our opponents get one shot. If they miss, it’s our ball,” said Live Oak Coach Brett Paolucci when discussing the Acorns rebounding dominance as a result of their height.
On Tuesday night, that height paid off.
Miles Curley, a 6-6 forward, scored 17 points for the Acorns. Drew Pearson, at 6-9, added another nine points and 6-foot-10 center Maciek Bratkowski, who scored 17 in the opener last week at Branham High School, scored five more against Santa Teresa.
In addition to the three big men up front, sixth man Chris Deem is 6-foot-9.
“It’s definitely a nice advantage to have height, but height alone won’t win the game,” said Paolucci.
While the Acorns scoring totals by their “big three” weren’t earth shattering, their dominance on the glass gave Live Oak many more second and third chances for a bucket.
In the opening quarter, the Acorns opened up a 14-8 lead despite relentless pressure from Santa Teresa.
“They handled things real well on the floor,” said Paolucci. “They pressed us a lot but we were able to put the ball on the floor and beat their press.”
Santa Teresa’s philosophy was to constantly put pressure on the Acorns in hopes of creating chaos and turnovers in the backcourt, but Live Oak answered the challenge.
“We just kept hitting the guys who were cutting through the lanes,” said Paolucci.
And as a result, Live Oak slowly dismantled the Saints and had built an eight-point lead by halftime.
By the end of the third quarter, the Saints cut the lead to seven.
In the closing quarter, however, Live Oak outscored Santa Teresa 15-9 thanks to some clutch free throw shooting in the closing minutes.
In the fourth quarter, Live Oak was five-of-seven from the line and a perfect four-of-four in the final minute.
Down the stretch, Acorn guards Joel Wright (6-foot) and David Chappell (6-3) helped control the tempo of the game and set up many breakaway lay-up plays as well. In all, the tandem scored 11 points for the Live Oak backcourt.
The Acorns are currently competing in a three-day, double-elimination tournament at Overfelt High School.
Live Oak’s first league game is Jan. 18 at Hollister.
