If the final games of the regular season are supposed to serve
as a blueprint for the postseason, then the Live Oak High boys
basketball team may have learned a valuable lesson on Wednesday
night.
If the final games of the regular season are supposed to serve as a blueprint for the postseason, then the Live Oak High boys basketball team may have learned a valuable lesson on Wednesday night.
Trailing by eight points on the road against a determined league rival, the Acorns made a few key adjustments at halftime, then came out and executed.
The result, a 63-53 victory over host Palma, was almost secondary.
The real victory, as it often is in the playoffs, was in the details.
“We had to make a few adjustments at halftime — we did a few things differently defensively — and we weren’t being patient on offense,” Live Oak coach Brett Paolucci said. “In the second half, we started getting a few turnovers and we started hitting our 3s.”
Down 31-23 at the half, Live Oak used its adjustments to outscore Palma 40-22 in the second half.
The Acorns were led by senior forward Steve Conner, who scored 16 points, senior guard Joel Wright, who had 14 including three 3-pointers, and junior forward Matt van Keulen, who added 10.
After dropping two games in a row to Hollister-San Benito and North Salinas, Live Oak (7-2 in league, 20-4 overall) has now won two straight.
Paolucci said the game against Palma and the season finale at Gilroy tonight at 7 p.m. gives the Acorns exactly the kind of high-intensity competition they will need going into the Central Coast Section playoffs, which start next week.
“Going down to Palma is never easy,” Paolucci said. “We knew they’d be fired-up and playing for pride. Give them credit. We’ll face the same thing (tonight) against Gilroy. They’re scrappy and they’ll get after it. When it’s Live Oak and Gilroy you can throw the records out.”
