It was another split week for the hoops squad with a victory of Bloomfield Hills Andover on Tuesday, Jan. 18 and a loss to Royal Oak on Friday, Jan. 21.
The Wildcats gained their second Oakland Activities Association victory with a 69-59 win over Andover.
After a hot start for Andover, the Wildcats weathered the storm and fought their way pack to trail 16-14 after one quarter.
It was all Oxford after that. They blitzed Andover in the second, outscoring them 25-9 in the quarter to take a 39-25 lead heading into halftime.
Junior Mark Hazelwood scored 12 of his team high 21 points in the second quarter. Junior Jacques Toussaint finished with 11 points for Oxford, while three players had at least eight points.
Oxford continued to roll in the third, outscoring Andover 19-9.
‘It was a good game because everyone got a chance to play and the team won,? head coach Paul Marfia said.
Andover was able to trim the lead to eight late in the fourth, but Oxford stepped it up one last time.
‘Our kids calmed down, took care of it, hit a couple of free throws and iced the game,? Marfia said. ‘That is what it takes to win a game, and we have to understand and consistently be good at doing that.?
Turnovers cost Oxford the chance at victory in their 58-52 loss against Royal Oak.
Trailing by one with two minutes left in the game and with possession of the ball, a traveling call followed by another turnover hurt their chance at victory.
‘I thought we came out with a really good gameplan…it looked like we were doing some good things out there, but turnovers cost us,? Marfia said. ‘We just kept giving them opportunities at the end, and like good teams, they took advantage of it.?
Oxford came out and led 15-10 after the first quarter and 30-24 at halftime.
Royal Oak trimmed the deficit to four when the fourth quarter began and used 14 made free throws to overtake the Wildcats.
Oxford did not attempt a free-throw in the fourth. ‘That’s what good teams do; they shot 14 free-throws and we didn’t shoot any,? Marfia said.
‘That was a sign that we need to be a little bit better handling the ball…and compound the fact that we don’t shoot any free-throws and we have seven turnovers in the fourth quarter, it’s not a recipe to win many games.?
Senior Chris Calvin lead the Wildcats with 21 points and 14 rebounds, and Hazelwood had 14 points for Oxford.
The Wildcats are now 4-4 overall, 2-3 in the Oakland Activities Association blue division. They travel to Farmington High School on Thursday, Jan. 27.