LIVE OAK, CA (MPG) - The Gridley girls varsity basketball team’s stellar defense held off a late second half push from the Live Oak Lions in a 49-32 victory on Tuesday, December 13.

Gridley (6-3) prevented what would’ve been a three-game losing streak with the wire-to-wire win over Live Oak.

Lady Bulldogs head coach Becca McCray mentioned to The Herald that there was a team meeting after the conclusion of their last tournament at Oroville.

“We turned around and looked like a whole new team,” McCray said.

She added that they played great team ball, and their defense was efficient. Whether it was picking up defenders with full-court pressure, slapping the ball off the dribble in the half-court or blocking shots, the Gridley defense made Live Oak struggle.

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The Lady Lions struggled on the court in the first half, but also were limited when it came to reserves as only eight players were in the home whites for Live Oak. Lady Lions head coach Sharonda Watson explained to The Herald that everyone on the bench knows their role.

“They're gonna come in and contribute to what is needed for the team,” Watson said.

Live Oak (5-2) trailed 26-6 at the end of the first half. 

Lady Bulldogs sophomore center Brook Marr led the game with 10 points in the first half, but also was a huge part of the Gridley defense as it seemed every time Live Oak attempted a shot in the paint, Marr was there to block it. Marr ended with a game-high of 19 points.

The other big defender and enforcer in the middle is senior forward Kennison Cota. Cota told The Herald that one of the Lady Bulldogs biggest strengths is height and being able to get big under the basket. Cota had eight points in the game. 

With Gridley and Live Oak being seven miles from each other in driving distance down Highway 99, the game was a big deal Tuesday night. Cota was asked and pulled away a couple of times for team pictures throughout her interview with The Herald in the Live Oak gym.

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All eight soccer and basketball teams combined between Gridley and Live Oak played one another on Tuesday. Cota mentioned to The Herald that both soccer teams fell to Live Oak, so it was nice to get a little revenge for their soccer friends. The Gridley boys basketball team also won, which made it an even split on the day for both schools.

The Lady Lions did outscore the Lady Bulldogs in the second half 26-23 and were led by senior forward Annalese Contreras with a team-high 16 points. Live Oak is competing in the Orland tournament this weekend where they picked up another win over Los Molinos on Thursday night.

Watson exclaimed to The Herald that her hope is to focus on rebounding the ball and boxing out this weekend as she added that they can get their high-quality shots on the offensive end.

The Lady Bulldogs are competing in the Sutter tournament this weekend with their first matchup against Placer. McCray told the Herald after the conclusion of the Live Oak game that Placer was going to be a good test for Gridley.