It was a split week for the girls basketball team as they took on two powerhouses from the Oakland Activities Association White Division.
The Wildcats traveled down M-24 to Dragon country on Tuesday, Jan. 24 and beat their long-time rivals 42-25.
According to varsity head coach Steve Emert, the Wildcats opened the game on a 7-0 run and never looked back.
Oxford ended the quarter up 12-6.
By halftime, Oxford held a 24-12 lead and held a 30-20 lead entering the final quarter.
Junior Shelby Davis led Oxford with 11 points. Junior Kelsey Harrison and senior Michelle Gilmore each had 8 points for Oxford. The Lake Orion win was a ‘signature win? according to Emert.
‘I think it was a signature win for us to try and establish (that) our program was back,? he said. ‘When people play us, we are going to play hard and do the best we can to execute and we are going to stay in the ballgame.?
‘That is important, and to play Lake Orion that way was something we really wanted to do,? he added.
Oxford checked into the heartbreak hotel following a 43-41 loss to Rochester Adams on Friday, Jan. 27.
Trailing by six points with 20 seconds left in the game, the Wildcats managed to cut the lead to two, but missed the game tying lay-up with 1.3 seconds left. The loss was dropped the Wildcats to 4-4 in division play.
‘It was a good ballgame and the kids played very hard, but it was a tough loss for them,? Emert said. ‘The kids battled back from a lot of adversity…they battled back and put themselves in a position to tie the ballgame.?
Oxford got the jump on Adams and outscored the Highlanders 13-11 in the first quarter. They continued to build their lead in the second, taking a 26-20 lead into halftime.
According to Emert, the girls retreated back into ‘not to lose? mode.
‘I had to call time-out and tell them they were playing not to lose,? Emert said. ‘We went into some protection mode, and I said you can’t play not to lose, you have to continue to play to win.?
When the third quarter ended, Adams and Oxford were tied at 32.
Harrison had 10 points to lead the Wildcats, while Murphy had nine points and nine rebounds. Davis had 9 points and junior Meagan Neff contributed eight points.
The Wildcats currently sit at 6-8 overall. ‘If you watch us, we are improving every day. Every game, we are improving, and that is what we have to keep our focus on,? Emert said.
The next test for the Lady Wildcats is on Thursday, Feb. 2 when they travel to Farmington High School.
‘If you watch us, we are improving every day. Every game, we are improving, and that is what we have to keep our focus on,? Emert said.
‘We’ve been in every ballgame; we’ve lost some tight ballgames and that is a situation now where we have to keep pushing forward so we can go to the next step of winning those close ballgames,? he added.
The next test for the Lady Wildcats is on Thursday, Feb. 2 when they travel to Farmington High School.