A resurgent Live Oak boys basketball team continued its strong play by defeating Andrew Hill 45-43 on Friday.
The victory was the Acorns’ second win in the Santa Teresa League. Live Oak is 2-2 in its last four games.
After the Acorns’ offense started off strong in the first half, Andrew Hill was cooled down Live Oak in the last half of the game. The Acorns’ defense had its work cut out in the second half to preserve the win and end the Falcons rally.
“I’m happy we got the win, said Live Oak coach Brett Paolucci after the game, “but we weren?t ourselves for some reason.”
The Acorns jumped out to a quick lead against the Falcons and held Andrew Hill to five points in the first quarter. Live Oak moved the ball well and with the help of its 3-point shooting, the team had an 18-5 lead going in the second quarter.
An offensive shootout began in the second quarter as both teams hit double digits in points. But with clutch free-throw shooting and two more 3-point shots, the Acorns led 32-20 at halftime.
Sophomore center Alika Bantilan poured in 13 points in the first half for the Acorns. Nine of his points came from behind the arc.
“He was huge for us in the first half,” Paolucci said, “hitting some major threes and started off really well for us. That’s what I expect from him. I
believe he’s our best shooter and our best consistent 3-point shooter.”
Bantilan’s 13 points was the most he had scored in a game this season. His previous high was nine against Santa Teresa.
In the second half, Falcons senior center Ndukwe Kas-osoka went on an offensive tear and brought Andrew Hill to within four points of Live Oak.
The Acorns couldn?t stop Kas-osoka from pulling down rebounds or scoring 11 points.
The Falcons defense clamped down by allowing eight points by the Acorns and not giving them many good shot opportunities from the field.
Paolucci said that his team got frustrated in the second half, which caused them to not play as well.
“Things started getting bad and we got flat,” he said. “We can’t do that.”
The tempo of the game slowed down in the fourth quarter as Andrew Hill desperately tried to make a comeback and win the game. At the end of the period, the Falcons kept sending the Acorns to the line to stop the clock and get another chance at a 3-point shot.
Live Oak was able to make a key free throw at the end to keep Andrew Hill at bay.
The Acorns will next take on Silver Creek today in San Jose.
