There's no place like home for the Live Oak Acorns, who bounced back after a tough loss on the road last Saturday. They narrowly escaped with a victory as the squad sidled past Santa Clara 54-52. The win was all the more spectacular given Live Oak's disadvantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 599th, while Santa Clara is ranked 130th).
Live Oak was led to victory by Maya Rafat and Kathliyah Clement. Rafat dropped a double-double on 19 points and ten rebounds, while Clement dropped a double-double on 21 points and ten rebounds. Clement continues to roll, besting her previous point total in each of the last five games she's played. Another player making a difference was Amaya Valencia, who scored two points.
Live Oak's win was their 13th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 8-2. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 55.5 points per game. As for Santa Clara, their loss ended a three-game streak of away wins and brought them to 7-2.
Live Oak will wrap up 2023 with a road trip to face off against Harbor at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday. Both teams have allowed few points on average, (Harbor: 30, Live Oak: 28.1) so any points scored will be well earned. Santa Clara and Arroyo Grande will round out the year against one another at 3:15 p.m. on Thursday at. Arroyo Grande will be looking to extend their current four-game winning streak.
