The boys varsity basketball team had a busy, three-game week. Two Wildcat losses book-ended a victory of cross-town rival Lake Orion.
Game one was a back-and-forth, low-scoring affair on Jan. 28, the Lapeer Lightning prevailed victorious, 47-45. The loss dropped the Wildcats to 5-5 on the season, their second loss of the year by just one or two points.
Part of Oxford High School’s Cancer Awareness fundraiser, this game followed a bit of a different schedule than usual. Typically, the varsity boys game follows the junior varsity game. On this night, the varsity girls’ battle with Lapeer preceded the varsity boys contest, affording both teams the rare opportunity to share the floor on the same night.
Extending their losing streak to three games, the Wildcats had little time to rethink their mistakes from this one as the team traveled to the O’Rena on the campus of Oakland University to square off with the rival Lake Orion Dragons the next night, Jan. 29.
Titled “Rivalry Night,” the Dragons served as the designated home team after Oxford hosted the first meeting between the two, a 62-54 Lake Orion victory, on Dec. 20.
Showing they were eager to return the favor, the Wildcats routed their border school, 42-19, to even the season series. Reflecting the defensive spirit head coach Steve Laidlaw founds his teams on, this was the fourth time this season Oxford has held their opposition to 36 points or fewer.
The game’s only player in double-figures, junior Pedro Bottene tallied 10 points. Senior Trey Townsend, who will be joining the Golden Grizzly program in 2020-21, scored nine points, with eight of them – including a strong, two-handed flush – coming in the first half.
Another senior, Ethan Robinson, who was a dominant force on the glass all night, also finished with nine points. Senior Cam Sutton, one of the top three-point shooters in the Oakland Activities Association (OAA) Red division, led the Dragons with six points.
“We were incredible defensively,” Laidlaw said. “Played a lot of kids, played 10 kids. Got good boards, were patient offensively.
“I really liked what we did on offense. We didn’t have many possessions where we came down and threw the basketball away, we swung the ball and made the right passes. I thought Pedro (Bottene) was outstanding, (junior) Zach Townsend was awesome defensively. It was a great program win, we needed it.”
The second straight road game for the team, the Wildcats rounded out their week by traveling to Stoney Creek High School in Rochester Hills to clash with the Cougars on Jan. 31.
Falling back to .500 once again at 6-6 (2-4 OAA White), Oxford came up just short in their search for a visiting victory, 51-42. The win was Stoney Creek’s (5-6, 2-4) first divisional triumph since topping the Birmingham Groves Falcons on Jan. 10.
Laidlaw’s boys returned home to face Groves on Feb. 4; results were unavailable at press time. The Wildcats will conclude a brief two-game homestand by doing battle with the Davison Cardinals (8-4, 4-3 Saginaw Valley League – Blue) on Feb. 7 at 7 p.m.