Even if it had just been a casual game of H-O-R-S-E, Doug
Porras
’ impossible, leaping, hanging, twisting,
toss-it-up-hard-off-the-glass shot would have elicited oohs, aahs
and a few high fives.
Even if it had just been a casual game of H-O-R-S-E, Doug Porras’ impossible, leaping, hanging, twisting, toss-it-up-hard-off-the-glass shot would have elicited oohs, aahs and a few high fives.
But coming as it did with time running out in overtime of a deadlocked game to beat a talented Seaside team and keep the Live Oak High boys basketball team’s win streak alive, Porras’ shot sent his teammates and the local crowd into paroxysms of excitement.
Moments later, the Acorns had secured a 59-57 victory over Seaside for their eighth win in a row.
Porras’ game-winner came after Live Oak took possession with just 16.8 seconds to play, then ran the clock down inside seven seconds when the junior guard made his move. Taking a pass on the left wing with the seconds slipping away, Porras drove the lane, double-clutched with a Seaside defender all over him and got off a shot that ordinarily would have been lucky to draw rim.
But this has been a magical season so far for the Live Oak boys, who improved to 11-1 overall with the non-league victory, and it was only a mild surprise that the ball ricocheted hard off the backboard and directly into the hoop.
“I saw the clock running down and I knew I had to get up a shot,” Porras said. “Luckily, it went in.”
“Doug is one of our best athletes on the floor and he makes some good athletic moves out there, and that one came right when we needed it,” Live Oak coach Brett Paolucci said.
It was the third straight nail-biter at home for the Acorns, who downed previously unbeaten and top-ranked Piedmont Hills 52-51 in their home-opener a week ago, then edged a tough Branham team 40-37 on Saturday.
But Porras said Live Oak is not only getting used to, but thriving on, such intense finishes.
“That’s what we thrive on is the end-of-the-game opportunities,” Porras said. “Everyone seems to step up.”
Paolucci said the current team is head and shoulders above past teams when it comes to clutch play, including last season’s Acorn squad that put together one of the best starts in school history by winning 10 of its first 11 games and finishing the non-league schedule at 12-2.
This season’s team has now surpassed last season’s fast start by winning 11 of its first 12, and could challenge the 1965 Live Oak team (which began 12-1) for the best start in school history with a pair of wins in this weekend’s Gunderson tournament.
“That’s the difference between this team and the last, we don’t get frustrated and we compete to the end,” Paolucci said. “I told the kids we’ll take a win any time, no matter how we play in the game. Good teams find a way to win. That was a great Seaside team and I’m really happy with the win.”
Paolucci also pointed out that his team had to deal with plenty of challenges in the game, which got started late and was delayed several times due to problems with the game clock before stretching into overtime.
“I credit the kids for dealing with all the adversity that happened last night,” Paolucci said. “Playing in these types of games builds character and will get us ready for league.”
The biggest adversity the Acorns faced in the game came courtesy of a quick, athletic Seaside team that created problems for the vaunted Live Oak defense with its speed and relentless attack on the offensive glass.
After a see-saw first quarter ended at 11-10 Spartans, Seaside went on a 9-4 run to sprint out to a 20-14 lead midway through the second quarter as the Acorns were missing wide-open shots.
But Live Oak rebounded with a run of its own, outscoring Seaside 10-4 to tie the game at 24-all with just seconds left in the half.
Porras had a bucket and two free throws, and Steve Conner added a pair of baskets in the scoring run.
However, Seaside tallied the final hoop of the period on a rebound and putback to fashion a 26-24 halftime lead.
Live Oak led 39-37 after the third quarter of play, which saw Porras score seven straight points for the Acorns.
Both teams had opportunities to win the game late in regulation but couldn’t convert.
Live Oak missed a contested runner with eight seconds to play and Seaside’s last-second floater in the lane rolled off the rim as time expired with the score tied 49-all.
Overtime scoring for the Acorns was provided exclusively by Conner, who had six points, and Porras, who had four.
Conner finished with a team-high 18 points and nine reounds for Live Oak, while Porras added 15 points and Joel Wright chipped in eight.
In this weekend’s six-team Gunderson tourn-ament, Live Oak has a first-round bye and will play its tourney opener against the winner of the Aragon-Mount Pleasant game on Friday at 5:30 p.m. at Gunderson High.
The Acorns will also play on Saturday, either in the third-place game at 5:30 p.m. or in the tourney championship game at 7 p.m.
In addition to Live Oak, Aragon, Mount Pleasant and tourney-host Gunderson, Thurgood Marshall of San Francisco and Fremont of Sunnyvale are also scheduled to play in the tourney.
