By Dean Vaglia

Leader Staff Writer

The Oxford High School varsity basketball teams had polar-opposite weeks, the boys continuing a losing streak while the girls pulled through the bulk of their games.

The girls started the week off at Rochester High School, knocking the Falcons out of the sky with a 33-29 win.

“The girls played phenomenal,” Rachel Breyer, girls varsity coach, said. “They knew the game plan, they knew the player personnel, they knew what to expect and they were just ready and knew how to counter everything Rochester was throwing at us.”

Freshman forward Nevaeh Wood scored nine points and four rebounds while sophomore guard Braydee Elling scored six points.

The team had an earlier than usual 5:30 p.m. game against the Berkeley Bears for their late-season home opener, though came up short for a final score of 31-40.

“It was so many emotions,” Breyer said. “The atmosphere was great; the girls were looking forward to this game for weeks and for us it was a big moment … Berkeley was a tough game for us. They came out really strong and they played really hard. [Berkley] ended up getting up at halftime on us and we just could not recover.”

The girls bounced back with a 31-20 away win against Romeo in the afternoon on Saturday, Feb. 12. Sophomore guard Abigail Snable had a “great” game keeping the Romeo post player in check while playing an unfamiliar position.

“Romeo on Saturday was her standout game for defense,” Breyer said. “She is coming into her own.”

Key players across the week for the girls were freshmen guard Allison Hufstedler with nine points and five rebounds against Rochester and seven points against Romeo; junior guard Miranda Wyniemko had seven points against Rochester, 13 against Berkley and nine against Romeo and freshman guard Sophia Raab scored six points against Berkley and 10 against Romeo as part of a “phenomenal” season at point guard.

The boys suffered two back-to-back hard-fought losses, the first a 37-44 home loss against the Seaholm Maples and the second a 49-56 neutral-ground loss against the Stoney Creek Cougars at the Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. The loss against the Cougars marks the boys’ third loss in a row, which coach Steve Laidlaw chalks up in part to the ever-present specter of the turnover.

“In the last three games that we lost, we have had opportunities late in the game to tie the game or take the lead,” Laidlaw said. “And we are either turning it over or just not making the plays necessary to win the game. Conversely on defense, it’s the same thing. We need a stop to keep the score within one score, and we just fail to do that.”

Even with the loss against Stoney Creek, the chance to play at the LCA was an “absolutely awesome” experience for the team according to Laidlaw. All 13 players got a chance to play on the Pistons’ hardwood, and junior guard Kyle DiMalanta was praised for his six-point game.

Key players for the boys were senior center Bryce Esman with nine points and nine rebounds against Seaholm and 12 points against Stoney Creek, freshman guard Jake Champagne with nine points against Seaholm and senior guard Alec Brown with nine points, three rebounds and two assists against Stoney Creek.

The LCA game was part of a larger “Oxford Night” hosted by the Pistons. Players got to watch that night’s game from a suite, meet with Pistons player Cade Cunningham and coach Dwane Casey and stood on the court with the pros for the national anthem.

This week the girls have another three-game slate, this time all at home. On Monday, Feb. 14 they beat the Troy Athens Red Hawks 49-21, played the Brandon Blackhawks on Tuesday, Feb. 15 (the game begins after press time) and end the week with a 7 p.m. duel against the North Farmington Raiders on Thursday, Feb. 17.

The boys follow up on Tuesday with a 7 p.m. game against the Southfield Arts & Technology Warriors and close the week with a 7 p.m. showdown on Athens’ home court on Friday, Feb. 18.