Lady Wildcats’ comeback falls short against Swartz Creek, 39-34

The Lady Wildcats attempted a valiant comeback on Friday, Jan 16 against Swartz Creek, but fell short 39-34.
Trailing 30-20 entering the fourth quarter, The Wildcats used another late surge to pull within three, 37-34, but they missed a three pointer as time expired.
It was the typical slow start for the Wildcats, only scoring four points in the first and 12 by halftime, trailing Swartz Creek by nine. The Wildcats shot under 30 percent for the game.
Coach Al Poynter was happy with the work ethic of the team, but still isn’t pleased with the slow starts. ‘We can’t expect to continue to get off to these slow starts in the first quarter and only get after our opponents over the last 20-24 minutes of a game’we go through unfocused stretches offensively, and we must eliminate those stretches if we are going to stay on top of a very balanced league? he said.
Junior Allie Laidlaw let the Lady Cats with 11 points.
On Jan. 13, the Wildcats displayed why they are the first place team in the Flint Metro League, beating Lapeer East 58-23.
The first half of the game was competitive, and Oxford only led 19-10 at halftime. The second half was a different story. Oxford hounded East defensively, and played with a sense of urgency Coach Poynter had been stressing. They outscored East 39-13, running their record to 5-1 in Flint Metro League play.
‘Tonight was a true team effort.? All 15 of our players contributed to the win, and it is our most satisfying win of the season so far,? said Coach Poynter. ‘We now have to sustain this intensity and focus for the rest of the season if we want to develop into a championship-caliber team.?
Laidlaw lead the victory march with 11 points and five assists, while Senior Jessica Raisch had 10 points.
After the 1-1 week, the Wildcats are in first place in the FML standings at 5-2, and are a ? game in front of Cilo, Fenton, Holly, and Swartz Creek.