With just one more week of the regular season ahead of them, Oxford’s ladies basketball team is trying to improve its record as much as possible in preparation for post-season play. This week, the Lady Cats defeated Troy Athens and Kingston and took a loss to Avondale.

On Feb. 22, Oxford hosted Troy Athens during senior night and left the game with a staggering 45-25 win. Head Coach Rachel Bryer said the game sent the team’s three senior athletes off in the “right way.”

The Lady Cats took the lead early in the first period and never looked back. At one point, Oxford had a 23-point lead. Senior forward HaLaya Cato led the team with 11 points and five rebounds.

Other key Lady Cats were sophomore guard Emma Morris with nine points and senior guard Ashely Hershman with eight.

After travelling to Avondale on Feb. 20, Oxford took a tough, close 29-27 loss to the Highlanders.

But on Feb. 19, the ladies hosted Kingston. According to Bryer, the game was a “thriller” that gave the Lady Cats a hard-fought 33-32 win.

As the final score suggests, it was a close, back-and-forth game. The Lady Cats stayed competitive throughout the first quarter, constantly applying pressure to the Cardinals and earning three turnovers. Oxford went into the second quarter leading 9-7.

Kingston gained momentum in the second quarter that caused Oxford to fall behind. But, sophomore guards Morris and Mackenzie Methner hit back-to-back 3-pointers near the half’s end to leave Oxford trailing by just five points, 25-20, heading into the third quarter.

After what Bryer called a “quiet” third quarter, the two team’s battled it out in the game’s final three minutes. The Lady Cats were down by three and was able to grab a steal and a foul to put them up by one point, 31-30.

After the Cardinals scored to get up by one, Cato sunk the game-winning shot with just nine seconds to go. For those final seconds, Oxford was able to hold onto its lead and leave the game with another win.

Oxford is now 13-5 overall. The Lady Cats will play in their final game of the regular season on Feb. 28 when they travel to Troy.