You couldn’t tell the varsity girls basketball team hadn’t played a game in three weeks.
It certainly was not evident in the Wildcats first game of the new year against Oak Park on Thursday, Jan. 6 as they defeated the Knights 41-25.
The Wildcats jumped out to an 11-3 lead midway through the first quarter due to some solid defense and timely scoring of junior Michelle Gilmore, who had six of her team’s 12 points in the first quarter.
‘It was nice to see our girls come out strong after not playing a game for three weeks,? head coach Al Poynter said.
After a timeout by the Knights, both teams settled in and traded buckets until halftime, with the Wildcats up 20-11.
Throughout the entire second half Oak Park chipped away at the lead, pulling within three at one point in the fourth quarter, 28-25.
However, Oxford put the clamps down and ended any sort of comeback hope for Oak Park by going on a 13-3 run to end the game.
It was the first home victory for the girls this season. Oxford is currently 2-4 overall and 2-1 in the Oakland Activities Association white division.
‘I was pleased to see us finish with such great composure…after Oak Park cut into our first half lead,? Poynter said.
Sophomore Shelby Davis had 12 points and five rebounds for Oxford, while fellow sophomore Miranda Murphy contributed eight points.
Up next for the Wildcats is a road game against Farmington Harrison on Tuesday, Jan. 11. They return home to battle Birmingham Groves on Friday, Jan. 14.
‘We will get another good measure of where we are as a team as we enter the halfway point of the season,? Poynter added.