Now 11 games strong, the Wildcat boys’ winning streak on the basketball court is breaking records. Facing two tough teams last week, the boys proved they could be in it for the long haul.

Pontiac and Lake Orion proved no match for the Wildcats this season, and the boys now hold the record for the strongest start of the season and the most consecutive wins by any Oxford basketball team, surpassing the 2016-17 team’s record of 10 games. With the victory over Pontiac, the team now sits alone atop the OAA Blue.

“Last week was a huge week, beating our arch rivals in Lake Orion and then defeating an undefeated Pontiac team who was tied with us for first in the league,” Head Coach Steve Laidlaw said.

The Wildcats went into a tough match on Jan. 17 when they faced off against a 12-0 Pontiac squad. Even without the key talent of senior guard Nolan Hiler for the night, the boys pulled off a 49-46 win. Laidlaw said the boys knew Pontiac would be a fierce competitor, and went on to play one of their best games of the season.

“When you watch (Pontiac) on tape, frankly, it’s almost overwhelming,” Laidlaw said. “They’re so athletic and they’re so tall. And we told (the boys) before this game, we cannot have turnovers, we cannot give up second shots, and when we have wide open threes, we have to have the confidence to take them.”

Sophomore guard Zach Townsend, making his first starting appearance of the season in Hiler’s absence, led the Wildcats in the win. He grabbed 18 points, including five 3-pointers, and went three-for-three from the free-throw line.

Though Townsend is still just a sophomore, he has played at the varsity level since his freshman year and Laidlaw had no doubts that he would rise to the occasion.

“He is a fearless competitor, he has no fear when he plays,” Laidlaw said. “If he misses a shot, he has the mindset that he’s going to make the next shot. If he’s guarding a really good player, he has the mindset of ‘OK, I’m going to stop them.’ I wasn’t worried about how Zach was going to approach the game. I knew it would not be too big for him.”

Townsend was followed by senior standout forward Michael Raisch with 14 points, offensive efforts that put a great deal of pressure on Pontiac players, according to Laidlaw. Other key players were senior guard Logan Coughlin and junior forward Trey Townsend.

Putting up what Laidlaw called the “play of the game” was senior forward Connor Nicolson. When Pontiac tried to steal the lead, Nicholson sprinted to defend the hoop and picked up a key charging foul.

Earlier in the week on Jan. 15, the Wildcats took down their rivals Lake Orion, an OAA Red team, 56-44.

“[Lake Orion] has been having tremendous success this year,” Laidlaw said. “Last year we lost to them in a devastating overtime game, so to defeat them in our own gym in front of out own fans was just absolutely fantastic.”

Raisch led the boys with 15 points and 11 rebounds when downing the Dragons. Trey Townsend put in a versatile game with 12 points, 12 rebounds, five assists and five blocks. On the offensive end, Hiler’s back-to-back 3-pointers late in the first half gave the boys the needed momentum that would continue into the second half.

But, Laidlaw said the defense sealed the deal for another win. “Once again, it was our defense and our bench that proved too much for the Dragons,” he said.

Zach Townsend, senior forward Grant Kornburger, senior guard D’Wavay Turner and senior forward Dujoun Williams all came off the bench to put pressure on Lake Orion defensively. Williams and Turner also put seven points on the board throughout the night.

Oxford is now 11-0 overall and 6-0 in the OAA Blue. The boys will be back on the paint on Jan. 25 when they host Royal Oak. Even though they’re excited at the possibility of continuing Oxford’s longest basketball win streak, they plan on putting in the hard work as they enter the final half of their season.

“I keep reminding the players that they’re very good. This is a good basketball team,” Laidlaw said. “But we have to fight against complacency, we have to fight against being comfortable. I tell them all the time that they’re on the brink of doing something great, and the only way they’re going to meet that greatness is by approaching every practice and every game as an opportunity to get better.”

As for the Jan. 25 match against Royal Oak, Laidlaw said he and the boys are looking forward to seeing their fans show their Wildcat pride again.

“We only play five, but the fans are truly our sixth man,” he said.