The Oxford Wildcats split this past week with a tight 67-64 lost to Linden on Friday and a great 56-46 win over Fenton on T uesday..
Scoring for Oxford against Linden were Ryan Stull with 24, Andy Bukoski with 18, Jeff Preutz with seven, Bryan Mattack with four, Chris Glass with four, Anthony Bryant four and Joe Fenorinchik with three.
Top rebounders were Preutz with seven and Bukoski with six. Assisting were Mattack with seven, Chris Keener with three and Stull with three.
On Tuesday, Bukoski led the Wildcats with 27 points and nine rebounds. Stull followed closely behind contributing 19 points and nine rebounds of his own.
“We outscored Fenton 33-19 in the second half,” said Laidlaw. “That’s really what decided the game.”
With districts looming around the corner, the Wildcats will be depending heavily on some of their top players.
Bukowski has been one of the leading forces on the team since returning after the Christmas break.
“His coming back was very significant for us,” said Laidlaw. “He is very strong in scoring, rebounding and interior defense.”
Another strong player is Ryan Stull, who has been a consistent scorer for Oxford game in and game out.
“He’s averaged about 15 points per game,” said Laidlaw.
Defensively, the Wildcats have had Bryan Mattack guarding their back.
“There’s a toughness to him on the court,” Laidlaw stated. “He’s a solid ball handler who’s defensively strong.”
The Wildcats will spend the next week preparing for district competition on March 3 when they face off against Brandon.