A wholesale graduation of seniors made it appear the Live Oak boys basketball program might take a step back this season. But the new-look Acorns are thriving and took a step forward.
Last year’s team rebounded from two struggling years to go 5-5 in league and return to the Central Coast Section playoffs after a short absence. But with 11 seniors departing and only two returnees who made notable contributions, the challenge was clear.
Yet there was no down year rebuild; the reloaded Acorns have their best record since the Covid days. They finished league play in second place at 7-3 and are 17-7 overall. The CCS postseason awaits.
“Nathan (Lozano) is our main guy,” Live Oak coach Randy Bartholomew said. “He and Sam (Ellingson) are our senior leaders.”
That duo returned and have played great, partnering with a deep young crew that shines both in the backcourt and up front near the rim. Integration of the new players has gone well and the Acorns have jelled better and better as the season has progressed.
“It all comes with the really good chemistry we have on and off the court,” Lozano said.
Lozano is a baller all over the court, scoring at a 12.1 points-per-game clip, dishing off a team-high 4.3 assists per game and also coming through on the boards, pulling down 4.5 rebounds per contest. Ellingson averages 10.5 points per game.
New faces are making big contributions. Leo Francke, a 6-foot-5 junior, has been fantastic up front, bringing 9.9 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. Senior Nigel Saint Clair is a 6-foot-4 swingman, offering up 7.5 points per game.
Sophomore Elijah Torres is an athletic 6-foot guard on the rise. Freshman Levi Yee, at 5-foot-11, and sophomore Clayton Clement, a 6-foot-5 center, are dynamic forces, leading to a well-balanced squad that can succeed inside or outside. Yee averages 8.3 points and Clement is at 6.8, with a team-high 8.3 rebounds per game.
Depth contributions come from Israel Decker, Dayton Miller, Nico Camargo and Gabe Lambdin in the backcourt and Evan Gulbinas, Erick Bogenschutz and Dylan DeHaro up front.
“It’s been a great season,” said Torres, after a recent win over Gilroy. “We have great chemistry and team bonding. We want to win league and make it to CCS and get our first CCS win.”
The Acorns did not win the league crown, but finishing second to Leland was a great accomplishment and an improvement from last year’s successful campaign. The CCS playoffs begin on Feb. 20.
The Blossom Valley Athletic League, Santa Teresa South title went to Leland at 9-1. The Acorns were No. 2 at 7-3. Sobrato and Silver Creek were both at 5-5, with Gilroy at 4-6. Oak Grove struggled badly and was 0-10.
The Acorns tore through the pre-season. Wins included victories over Mills, Seaside, Yerba Buena, San Jose, Lincoln, Aptos, Hill, SLV, Soledad and KIPP.
Live Oak opened league play by smashing Oak Grove 78-45 and then clobbering a solid Silver Creek team 77-54. The Acorns headed down Highway 101 and pasted Gilroy 71-47. Leland dealt them their first league loss but Live Oak rebounded to edge Sobrato 57-56 on the road.
In the back half of the double round-robin, Live Oak ripped OG again, 79-51 this time. Silver Creek, playing at home, edged them 64-63. LO regrouped and held off feisty Gilroy 67-60, lost at Leland and finished the regular season by knocking down Sobrato 53-37 Feb. 12 on Senior Night.
Personal highlights have been many. Lozano has reached double figures 14 times and topped 20 on four occasions. He scored 20 against Oak Grove, 21 against Silver Creek, 23 against Gilroy and finished with 22 against Sobrato. Ellingson also hit two digits 14 times, topped by 20 versus Silver Creek and 18 against Mills and Lincoln.
Francke, even missing a few games with a minor injury, has hit double figures 10 times. His season best was 22 versus Soledad and he scored 17 against Hill and 15 against San Jose. In league play, he had big games against Gilroy and Sobrato, scoring 14 in both.
Saint Clair scored 15 against Mills, 14 versus KIPP and 13 against Oak Grove. Torres tallied 15 against Yerba Buena and also versus San Jose. Yee poured in 19 against Lincoln and 17 versus Yerba Buena.
Clement scored 18 against Oak Grove and 17 at Gilroy. He pulled down nine or more boards on 10 occasions, topped by a 19-rebound effort versus Silver Creek. He cleaned the glass to the tune of 13 against Lincoln and Silver Creek and 12 versus Gilroy.
The season’s effort and growth were both on display in the home game on Feb. 5 against Gilroy. In the first half, Live Oak looked like a team trying to find its way. The visiting Mustangs utilized a scrappy defense and an opportunistic offense to lead 29-22 at the half.
“In the first half, we didn’t really play together,” Lozano said. “We talked it out and came back with a better defense.”
Yee and Clement each scored two early third quarter baskets to vault the Acorns back into the game. The Live Oak charge grew to a 22-8 run as they drove to a 44-37 lead.
“Gilroy got to their strengths,” Bartholomew said. “On-ball screens and backdoors and they executed on defense. I lit a little fire under our guys at halftime. We were staying on the perimeter and getting just one pass and then shoot. We changed to playing inside out and that worked better.
“And we kept switching up our defense between man and several different zones to try to confuse them.”
Yet the Mustangs had one more salvo remaining and caught up in the fourth quarter. In the final 90 seconds, trailing by a point, the Acorns made all the big plays for the victory. Lozano fed Clement for a three-point play inside and after a Gilroy miss, Ellingson drove to the basket for a layup.
The Mustangs missed another shot and Live Oak sank free throws to close the night on an 8-0 run.
“In the second half, we definitely had more energy,” Torres said. “We moved the ball better. We opened them up and got to the hoop.”
Postseason brackets were expected to be unveiled Feb. 18, with playoff games from Feb. 20-28. If things go really well, then NorCal and CIF State competition will follow.
