This Time it Wasn’t Close: Mustangs Stampede Acorns, Still
Perfect in TCAL
Gilroy – The first time Gilroy and Live Oak played each other this season – the first of the final two meetings between the schools as league rivals – the Mustangs left with a win they know many people thought wasn’t well-deserved.
“People were saying, ‘Oh, you shouldn’t have won that,'” said Gilroy senior Ryan Chisolm. “So I think we wanted to come out and prove that, you know what, we had a letdown (last game) and we beat you and we’re going to beat you again.”
This time, there was no doubt about who earned the win.
The Mustangs went home with a 27-point, 55-28 win, a 2-0 sweep of the Acorns this season and their undefeated Tri-County Athletic League record intact.
After the game, Chisolm held a mini-broom in his hand, the same kind that was brandished by many in the Gilroy student section during the game.
“I’m gonna hang this up in my room and write on it,” said a smiling Chisolm, who led Gilroy with 14 points and 12 rebounds. “It’s one of those memories that you’re never going to forget for a long time. And when you have this, it’s going to be even harder to forget.”
Live Oak (12-11, 5-3), however, which failed to score in the double-digits in any quarter of the game, would probably like to forget it.
“We were anxiously awaiting this game,” said Gilroy head coach Bud Ogden. “I couldn’t stress to the kids just how big a game it was.”
It was clear once the game started, he didn’t have to.
The Mustangs (17-6, 8-0) rushed out of the gate to a 9-0 lead thanks to a three-pointer from Chisolm and two from Dominik Wilkins (6 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists). At the other end, the Acorns missed their first four shots, including two three-pointers.
And those shooting woes continued for the TCAL’s second place team throughout the game. The Acorns were just 2-for-15 from beyond the arc.
“Nothing worked,” said Live Oak head coach Brett Paolucci, whose squad beat Palma for the second time Thursday. “We shoot a lot of threes and if some of those shots would have gone in, it would have helped.”
Gilroy did nothing to help the Acorns’ shooting effort. The Mustangs played a tenacious 3-2 zone that put constant pressure on Live Oak’s shooters.
By the end of one quarter, Gilroy sported a 17-8 lead. At the half, Gilroy extended that to 28-17.
“We had one of those nights where hustle was rewarded with rebounds and loose balls,” Ogden said.
The Mustangs just kept building the lead. Gilroy’s most productive quarter was the fourth, which they opened with a 6-0 run. Senior Jeremy Teschera (6 points, 5 rebounds) banked in the first basket. A couple possessions later, senior Vinny DeLorenzo (8 points, 9 rebounds) came up with a steal and got the ball to senior Chris Yates. He dumped the ball off to senior Christian Cania (7 points, 2 steals), who laid the ball in. Moments later, Wilkins pulled down a defensive board and sent a long pass to Teschera who finished the break with a lay-up.
Live Oak was never able to muster any sort of run against the Mustangs, who had a loud, standing-room-only gymnasium cheering mostly in their favor.
“Oh man, it was amazing,” Chisolm said. “The atmosphere again, I think it was better than last game.”
Like the last time the two teams met, both school’s student bodies were well-represented. Gilroy’s, wearing white shirts, took up half of the east side bleachers while Live Oak’s took up about a third of the west side bleachers. For several minutes in the second quarter, both sections traded chants.
“I’ve never been in a game this crazy before in my life,” Cania said. I don’t think anything could match this. This is the biggest rivalry, Gilroy and Live Oak, the last game. It’s a great way to win it.”
With four league games to play, the win helps put Gilroy in the driver’s seat. The Mustangs have a three-game lead ahead of Live Oak and Palma in TCAL. Gilroy travels to Palma Wednesday for its next game.
