Hoopsters score Winterfest win

The varsity boys basketball team knocked off one of their competitors for a division title after beating Birmingham Groves 54-50 during the annual Winterfest game on Friday, Feb. 10.
‘That was great for those kids,? varsity head coach Paul Marfia said. ‘It was a great environment, the crowd was awesome…our student section was packed. It was a great thing to be in front of and have those kids in the game…and for us to come out on top was huge for them.?
Oxford only managed six points in the opening quarter as Groves played a delay offense style, slowing the pace down and keeping the Wildcats out of rhythm.
Groves led 11-6 after one quarter.
The offense finally got going in the second as the Wildcats put up 16 points in the quarter to take a 22-20 halftime lead.
Oxford fell behind 35-31 in the third quarter, but senior Ben Magdaleno sparked the Wildcats when he hit back-to-back three-pointers to give the Wildcats a 37-35 lead.
‘It really got us going there and it was big for us to get back in the game,? Marfia said.
Magdaleno finished with a career high 12 points.
After that, the Wildcats took control of the game, outscoring Groves 17-15 in the final quarter. According to Marfia, the Wildcats withstood a late run by Groves thanks to their ball control.
Senior Mark Hazelwood came up big in the fourth quarter, scoring 10 of his 21 points in the quarter. Junior Nate Brubaker scored five points, had six rebounds and three steals.
Despite the win, Marfia felt like his team never got into any offensive flow the entire night.
‘It was very difficult the whole game to get a flow on offense. It seemed very herky-jerky. They kept changing their defenses and we were really off rhythm,? he said.
However, one bright spot for Marfia was on the defense end, where he saw his team pick up four charges. In the first meeting against Groves, the Wildcats had zero.
According to Marfia, senior Jacques Toussaint led Oxford with two charges.
‘That was pretty huge for us, kids willing to sacrifice their body and that is what we have to do,? Marfia said. ‘We may not always be the most talented team on the court, but when we play as a team and do the little things, it makes a difference.
With the win, Oxford improved to 11-4 on the season, and 5-1 in the Oakland Activities Association Gold Division.
Up next for the Wildcats is a game at Hazel Park on Friday, Feb. 17 before entertaining Lapeer East at home on Tuesday, Feb. 21.

The varsity basketball team sent the crowd home happy after a 67-44 beatdown of Avondale during the annual Winterfest game on Friday, Feb. 18.
Oxford got on track early, turning nearly every missed basket and turnover by Avondale into points, and by the end of the first quarter, the Wildcats were ahead 21-14.
After a sluggish start to begin the second quarter, Oxford got back on track and outscored the Yellow Jackets 13-10 in the second quarter.
Oxford took a 10 point lead into halftime, 34-24.
The Wildcats stretched the lead to 15 after three quarters, 51-36, and closed the door on any Avondale comeback by holding the Yellow Jackets to eight points in the final quarter.
Junior Mark Hazelwood led the Wildcats with 16 points, senior Chris Calvin had 14 points and 12 rebounds and junior Jacques Toussaint had seven points for Oxford.
A slow start cost the Wildcats a chance at victory against Oakland Activities Association blue division leader Rochester on Wednesday, Feb. 16.
The Wildcats were outscored 21-10 in the opening quarter.
They played competitively with the Falcons the rest of the game, outscoring Rochester 11-9 in the second quarter and 12-9 in the third quarter.
They weren’t able to trim the deficit any further, as the Falcons found their offense again, outscoring Oxford 16-13 in the final quarter.
Hazelwood led Oxford with 19 points, and Calvin chipped in 12 points.
The Wildcats currently sit at 6-10 overall, 4-6 in the OAA blue division.

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