After two years of struggles, the Live Oak boys basketball program regained its footing and the current season marked a huge step forward. The senior-led 2024-25 team reached new heights with a 5-5 third-place league record and a Central Coast Section playoff berth.
The season finished with a thrilling contest in the CCS Division III playoffs Feb. 21 down at Soledad, in which the Acorns rallied back from a 13-point deficit to force overtime, but fell 55-54.
“I love this group,” senior guard Devon DeHaro said. “We have 11 seniors out of 13 players and we’ve been looking forward to this season. We did pretty good this year, finishing in third and making the playoffs. Last year, we were way down in the standings.”
The pre-season record was not good, but featured learning experiences highlighted by competition against some of the best teams in southern California during a holiday tournament in Tustin. That paid off during league play and carried the Acorns into the post-season.
Additionally, after three years of struggling to a 1-12 mark against teams in Gilroy and Morgan Hill, Live Oak turned things around with a 4-2 mark against those schools this year. Highlights included 68-45 and 52-41 wins over Gilroy, and smashing a six-game losing streak against El Toro rival Sobrato by beating the Bulldogs 54-53 in overtime and 49-42 late in the season.
“We have a lot of seniors and those seniors were leaders,” Live Oak coach Randy Bartholomew said. “Our three guards all average more than 10 points a game. We’re a perimeter team, with those three guards. Our defense has been solid all season. We usually play man-to-man, with a little bit of zone.”
The Acorns’ strengths began with those three—Nathan Lozano, Devon DeHaro and Ethan Estrada Sanchez. Lozano, a junior, led Live Oak in scoring at 13.0 points per game and assists at 4.0 per game.
The diversified attack also featured Devon DeHaro with 12.0 points per game and Estrada Sanchez at 10.4. Riley Murrill patrolled the glass to the tune of 6.0 rebounds per game, with DeHaro contributing 4.3 per game and Lozano adding 4.1 per game.
Live Oak also received major contributions from many other players. Luke Miller and 6-foot-5 Nathan Newberg added a great deal to the front line.
Sam Ellingson, a junior, provided a spark off the bench with offense and a bulldog approach to defense. Jordan Tabag, Dylan DeHaro, Justin Garcia, Drew Barreto and Carlo Perino added depth.
“We’ve had a lot of close games,” Bartholomew said. “We’ve had seven games decided by six points or less. Yet even with the close losses, I’m happy to make playoffs.”
After two 5-19 seasons, with league marks of 2-8 and 3-9, it was all different in 2024-25. The overall mark, even with the defeats in southern California, was 11-14 and the Acorns did some damage in league play. The Blossom Valley Athletic League, Santa Teresa East Division saw a new version of Live Oak.
The Acorns finished in third place with a 5-5 mark and were oh so close to much more. All five BVAL losses were by six points or less, with two by just two points and one other being an overtime defeat. Thus, the Acorns were seven points away from an 8-2 mark and 19 points away from a 10-0 record.
“We knew we had a pretty good team this year,” Bartholomew said. “We’ve never been blown out in a game.”
The playoff game at Soledad on Feb. 21 was typical of many of Live Oak’s games this year. The contest went back-and-forth with swings of momentum and the outcome in doubt all the way. Lozano led Live Oak with 17 points, Sanchez added 10, Ellingson contributed nine, Murrill had eight and Devon DeHaro scored 7 points.
Soledad’s Pablo Morales knocked down three first-half 3-pointers as part of a 12-point opening half, and cousin Pedro Morales Jr. added seven points as Soledad used a strong second quarter to build a 24-15 lead at halftime. Live Oak fought back after the break.
Lozano scored both outside and inside as he tallied 12 in the third period. The Acorns climbed back within 34-30, but the Warriors extended it to 41-33 entering the fourth quarter.
“We dug deep; we knew we were capable,” Devon DeHaro said. “We had more on-ball pressure. We forced turnovers to get us opportunities. We began face-guarding number 24, as he’s a knock-down shooter. I guarded him some and so did Sam (Ellingson).”
Ellingson sank a runner and converted a three-point play to open the final stanza. Devon DeHaro nailed a clutch 3-point bomb from the left baseline with 1:07 left to finally get the Acorns even. The squads traded a pair of free throws and headed to extra time.
“We adjusted our offense a bit,” Bartholomew said. “In the first half, they packed the lanes. In the second half, we spaced the floor more and that opened up space for our guys to attack the basket.”
The contest went back-and-forth again. Lozano drained a trey from the top of the arc with 45 seconds remaining to give Live Oak a 54-53 lead. But Soledad converted on its possession as Anthony Medina hit a follow shot with 10.6 seconds on the clock for the winner.
“There wasn’t a whole lot of difference between the two teams,” Soledad coach Nick Twitchell said. “We’re evenly matched. They (Live Oak) got more aggressive with their drives in the second half. Their guards would spin and reverse. And they found Riley (Murrill) inside a few times.”
It was a painful loss for the Acorns but they took pride in rallying on the road from a 13-point deficit, including outscoring Soledad 14-6 in the fourth quarter to force overtime.
Additionally, they reflected during hugs and pictures about a landmark season of success, after a few dry years. They finished in third place, were competitive in every game, and found their way back to the playoffs.
“We had a lot of these guys on JV two years ago,” Bartholomew said. “I told them that when they become seniors, it would be one of my best groups I ever wanted to coach.
“They play for each other. They get along on and off the court. They work hard and they have a great love for the game. And they’re all just really good people.”
