Bears beaten by Live Oak

Playing in front of a packed and energetic crowd at Ron Pritchard Gym on Senior Night, Live Oak jumped out to an 18-point lead at the half and kept the pressure on throughout to cruise home with a 60-35 victory over the first-place Bears.

It was the final regular-season game for the Lions (16-5), who wrapped up their SVL slate with a 10-2 record. Pierce (15-6) dropped to a 8-2 in league play with the loss.

"When we come out and play like that, we're a tough team to beat," Live Oak coach Zach Wilson said. "The intensity was there tonight. They definitely wanted it."

Romario Acosta got the Lions going from the start by scoring eight points in the opening five minutes to help stake the hosts to a 12-4 lead at the end of the first period.

The most telling stat of the night? Acosta had 16 points at the half while the Bears totaled just 14 as a team.

Utilizing a swarming 2-3 zone, the Lions flew all over the court defensively and limited the Bears to 14 of 58 shooting from the field (31 percent) and went on to force 23 turnovers in the game.

"The shots weren't falling and we just had a tough time getting the ball in the hoop," Pierce coach Noah Gomez said. "It's hard to win a game when you only score 35 points."

Andy Corona scored 14 points, and Oscar Dorantes and Jesus Huerta had six points each to lead the way for Pierce.