In front of a raucous crowd that made this Dec. 21 non-league game feel more like a state championship title contest, the Live Oak girls basketball team produced a 42-37 comeback win over Sobrato in a game that lived up to its billing and then some. It’s game that neither of the Morgan Hill schools will forget, for different reasons.
The Acorns (5-4) used a ferocious fourth-quarter rally in upending their Morgan Hill rival, outscoring the Bulldogs 16-5 in the final 5 ½ minutes to post an impressive victory.
“The girls will always remember the atmosphere more then the wins or losses,” Live Oak coach Mike Kiefer said. “It was all about who could make the plays at the end.”
And that was Live Oak, which received 11 points each from Grace Smith and Adrianne Gomez and eight points from Raegan Kirk. The Acorns won despite shooting only 24 percent (12-of-51) from the floor. Live Oak was able to get it done by clamping down defensively and being strong on the glass in the fourth quarter.
“We always preach that defense wins games and rebounding wins championships,” Kiefer said. “Our defense and rebounding was key at the end. We were able to force them into bad shots and turnovers, and that in turn helped our offense flow when it counted.”
So what was the difference for the Acorns in the first three quarters compared to the final eight minutes? A grittier, controlled effort.
“When we needed energy and effort, the girls gutted it out and found something deep inside and were able to pull through,” Kiefer said. “Just having that heart, effort and desire to show they really wanted this one bad said a lot about their character. I think we’re still trying to find our identity, but this would be a good place to start.”
Live Oak runs a multiple point offense in which three or four players are point forwards or guards and are accompanied by one post player. Smith, a senior guard and one of the team’s leaders, averages 17 points per game. Gomez, a sophomore, averages 12 points a game. Kirk, a freshman, hit two of the biggest shots of the game, a 3-pointer that tied things up late in the fourth and a pull-up jumper that put the team ahead for good.
In addition to the aforementioned players, junior Anabela Stewart, senior Cameron O’Connell, senior Jennifer Poonia, junior Alexis Munson and senior Marisa Chu have made an impact at certain points in the season. Even though Kiefer preached to his players that they had to treat Sobrato like it was just another game, the raucous atmosphere made it almost impossible for the players to take that message to heart—at least at the opening tip.
“It took us a while to settle down and just play the game,” Kiefer said. “I’m really proud of the girls for what they did in the fourth quarter. They fought for every possession, and as a coach you hope this carries over.”
Alas, the Acorns had to play the very next night, and the result was a 56-51 loss to a solid Branham team. Smith had 23 points and Gomez 10 in defeat. Despite the loss, Kiefer is optimistic that the Acorns might have discovered something about themselves in the win over Sobrato, which is an A-league team as part of the Blossom Valley League’s Mount Hamilton Division.
Live Oak is part of the BVAL’s B-league Santa Teresa East Division.
“I tell the girls to take that as fuel for fire,” Kiefer said. “No one believes in us other than ourselves, so every night we have to play with a chip on our shoulder with the attitude that we don’t get any respect.”
