The Varsity Girls basketball team pushed their winning streak to four games after a couple of thrilling victories this past week.
Oxford traveled out to Clio on Friday, Jan. 29 to face the Mustangs in a classic Flint Metro League showdown. The game ended a stretch where Oxford played seven of nine games on the road.
The Wildcats only led for four seconds in the game, but it was the four seconds that mattered most. Junior Mikaela Parrish got the game winning offensive rebound and basket with less than five seconds left in the game to give the Wildcats a 46-44 victory over Clio. She finished with 17 points and nine rebounds.
The Wildcats trailed 27-19 at halftime, but they clamped down defensively in the second half, holding the Mustangs to 17 total points.
‘I am very proud of our team tonight,? said Head Coach Al Poynter. ‘We held Clio to 17 points in the second half, overcame foul trouble and fatigue to put ourselves in a position to win the game against an excellent and well-coached team on their home court.?
Senior Megan Tilley had 14 points and senior Taylor Medel grabbed eight rebounds.
The victory over Clio came three days after the Wildcats had to hold on to defeat Kearsley after jumping out to an early lead.
The Wildcats were up 16-6 after the first quarter, but Kearsley’s offense got on track in the second. They scored 14 points to pull within eight at halftime, 28-20.
Oxford came out flat in the third quarter, only scoring two points while Kearsley kept chipping away, trimming the lead to three at the end of the third quarter. But the Wildcats showed toughness, grinding out the fourth quarter and walking away with a 40-36 victory.
‘We hung tough against a much improved Kearsley team on their home court. We had some big defensive stops in the fourth quarter and were able to get just enough offense to stay ahead,? said Poynter.
Parrish led the Wildcats with 20 points and 10 rebounds, while Tilley had nine points and senior Allie Laidlaw had five assists.
The Wildcats are now 6-7 overall and 6-5 in the FML standings. The travel schedule gets easier for the Wildcats as they play five of their final seven games at home.
That is something that Poynter would like to take advantage of. ‘We have a chance to push upward in the FML standing and get things rolling as we head into the final four weeks of the regular season and into district tournament play,? he said.
The home stretch begins with first-place Fenton coming to Oxford on Feb. 2 and Lapeer West visiting the gym for Winterfest on Friday, Feb. 5.