Amy Gunther and Fayth Lyon share a close bond on the basketball court.
The Live Oak High freshmen began playing together in seventh grade at Britton Middle School, planting the seeds for what could grow into a memorable four years for the Acorns’ varsity team. It wasn’t long before the backcourt duo had a nickname.
“Everyone started calling us the twins,” Gunther said.
Why twins?
“We don’t really look alike, but we just work really well together,” Gunther said. “She steals the ball, and I’ll be racing down to get to the basket and score.”
That’s happened a lot in the early going for Live Oak, which won three of its first four games behind big numbers from Gunther and Lyon.
“We started off in seventh grade not knowing each other, and basketball is the thing that brought us together,” Lyon said. “It’s a great feeling to know that I’ll have a best friend by my side all four years.”
The present looks pretty good for the Acorns, but about that future?
“Exciting’s not the word. We’re only four games in, and it’s hard not to look to the future and what they can do,” Live Oak coach Mike Kiefer said. “They’re so young and they have so much to grow. Their defense is just going to get better. Their shot selection is going to get better. As a coach, it’s just inspiring, those two. I have to kick them out of the gym because they just want to get better. They keep picking our brain and asking us what they can do to get better.”
The rivalry stage was no problem for Live Oak’s youth Dec. 7, as Gunther poured in 22 points and Lyon scored nine in a 61-25 win at Sobrato. The Acorns scored the first 13 points in the game.
Live Oak has four freshmen playing varsity, including forwards Francis Giba and Ilisapeti Saulala.
“We all tried out really hard,” Gunther said. “We wanted to make varsity a lot, and we did.”
Kiefer said the four freshmen have been easy to coach.
“We’re fortunate that they came in and they’re very, very coachable,” he said. “Everything that we ask them to do when we’re showing them film or we’re showing them something, they’re listening, adapting, and trying to get better. They are feeding energy to the whole team, and our whole team just wants to get better with every outing.”
It’s not only freshmen contributing to the quick start for the Acorns.
Junior wing Jocelyn Mendoza averaged 6.5 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.8 steals through the first four games. Senior guard Alex Balala had five points and five steals in a 32-20 win over Carlmont on Nov. 30.
Kiefer said a team trip to the Tahoe area last summer enabled the incoming freshmen to mesh with returning players.
“We thought the best thing to do was bond them early, and in my opinion that was the best thing that we did,” he said. “And now, you see them all on campus walking around together, and it’s been a great transition on the court.”
Live Oak fell to 3-2 with a 33-29 loss at Santa Clara on Tuesday.
Kiefer said the Acorns still have work to do on their press, but he already has a young leader serving as an ambassador on the importance of defense.
“Offense is OK, but I just love defense,” Gunther said. “Defense pretty much wins games. I like defense a lot more.”
Live Oak struggled to a 7-16 record last season, but the crop of freshmen has teamed with returning players to give the Acorns new hope.
“We’re trying to instill a sense of greatness,” Kiefer said. “We’re trying to make them believe that they have the ability to be a great team. When we pack our bags and go on the road, we treat it like business, and every night is new business that we have to handle.”
