The Oxford cagers succeeded in winning against Fenton 71-61 on Jan. 9 despite an aggressive opening by the Tigers and the loss of senior Casey Mick for a large portion of the game.
The Wildcats followed closely behind Fenton 24-23 in the first quarter. The Tigers attempted to widen the gap at the beginning of the second, by Oxford held tight.
“We were down by seven and Fenton just came out shooting like crazy,” said Coach Steve Laidlaw. “Then (Joe) Fedorinchik hit back to back 3-pointers in the second quarter and we never looked back.”
Senior Casey Mick was taken out of the game after being injured in the first play of the night. According to Laidlaw, Mick was transported for medical care and received six stitches in his head.
“He came back late in the third quarter and warmed up by running around in the hallway,” added Laidlaw. “He played again in the fourth, hit a basket as soon as he hit the floor, and then got four rebounds.”
Mattack finished the night with 18 points, five steals and going 10-12 on the line. Laidlaw confirmed that the team leader “just had a great night.”
Other top players included Ryan Stull with 23 points, including three 3-pointers and going four for five from the 2-point area; Dave Wendt with 14 points; and Bradley Duggan with seven rebounds, six of which were made on offense.
“Dave Riley also came in and gave us a big lift,” said Laidlaw. “He came in and hit a 3-pointer and then went one for two on the line.”
On Tuesday, the Wildcats won against Linden 61-51.
“We were down by 10 early in the third quarter and tried to gain up by the fourth,” said Laidlaw. “We ended up 40-40 going into the fourth.”
Oxford started off the game slow though scoring only 19 points in the first half. However, the team picked up the intensity and scored 42 in the second, with the majority during the fourth quarter.
High points for the evening were Stull with 18, Mattack with 16 and Duggan with 9. Duggan also led the team in two charges and had numerous rebounds.
The Wildcats are set to take on the Brandon Blackhawks on Jan. 16.