In a season full of close games and losses for the varsity basketball team in the Oakland Activities Association, they suffered yet another heartbreaker, this time at the hands of Royal Oak on Thursday, Feb. 24.
In a game that was tight throughout, the Wildcats fell behind 14-10 after the first quarter, but a average second quarter offensively allowed Royal Oak to push the lead to eight at halftime, 26-18.
Oxford’s defense picked up in the third quarter, holding Royal Oak to only eight points and cutting the deficit in half, 34-30.
However, both offenses finally got going in the fourth Oxford, with the Wildcats putting up 17 points. It wouldn’t be enough as Royal Oak would outpace the Wildcats by two, putting up 19 points and hold off the Wildcats.
Mark Hazelwood and Chris Calvin each led that Wildcats with 12 points.
With the loss, Oxford dropped to 4-7 in the OAA Blue division.
On Tuesday, Feb. 22, the Wildcats renewed one of their best rivalries in the Flint Metro League when they traveled to Brandon to try and take down the Blackhawks.
However, Brandon didn’t serve as a gracious host and made quick work of Oxford, defeating the Wildcats 71-42 in the interleague matchup.
The Wildcats were able to keep it close for the first quarter, trailing the Blackhawks by two, 12-10, after the first period.
Then everything went downhill after that.
Brandon outscored the Wildcats by nine in the second quarter, 20-11, and took a 32-21 lead into halftime. Brandon continued its strong play in the third, holding the Wildcats to just points while extending their lead to 18. They eventually put the game away with a dominating fourth quarter, outscoring the Wildcats by a dozen points en route to the 31 point victory.
The lone bright spot for Oxford was Hazelwood, who hit three three-pointers, scoring a total of 14 points in the loss.
With the losses this week, Oxford falls to 6-11 on the season. They play at home against Hazel Park on senior night on Thursday, beginning at 7 p.m. They open up district play at home on Tuesday, March 8 against Rochester at 7 p.m.