The Boy’s Varsity Basketball Wildcats busted out of their recent slump they were in, beating Cilo 58-31 in front of a lively crowd on Friday night.
As part of Winterfest, the boys played one of their best games of the season, forcing numerous turnovers and converting them into points.
Wildcat Head Coach Steve Laidlaw was extremely proud of the way his team played. ‘We had an outstanding defensive effort,? he said. ‘We had 14 steals and several deflections, which led to turnovers.’The key to the game was our season low 11 turnovers.’Prior to the game, we were averaging 21 turnovers a game.?
The Point Guard combination of Senior James Scribner and Junior Kevin Cramer had a combined one turnover throughout the game.
The turnovers were not the only reason for the Wildcats? success on Friday; they also shot the ball well from the field. Senior Captain Mike Stumph went four-for-four from the field, while Junior Mike Bertling six-for-eight and finished with 14 points for the game. Senior Anthony Esparsa finished with 14 points, going seven-for-nine from the field.
The Wildcats started the game with a 9-0 run, but only could muster a free-throw after the start, ending the first quarter ahead by six, 10-4. They shot the ball much better in the second, scoring 15 points and expanding their lead to 25-14 by halftime. The tide completely turned in the third when Oxford picked up its defense pressure, outscoring Cilo 21-4 in the quarter.
‘We increased our pressure and converted steals and deflections to layups.’Once we got the momentum, we were able to really increase the pressure,? said Laidlaw.
Junior Tommy Neiman lead the Wildcats in rebounding with 11.
The Wildcats suffered their fourth consecutive loss, losing to Flint Kearsley 52-44 last Tuesday.
The game was close throughout, with the biggest lead for either team being nine points. Oxford was strong early, taking an 8-4, but Kearsley closed the quarter on a 9-4 run, and expanded their lead to six by halftime.
After building their lead to nine points, Oxford was able to chip away and pull within two points, 46-44, with 58 seconds to go. That would be as close as they would get because Kearsley made all six of their free-throws in the last minute.
Bertling’s 13 points lead Oxford in scoring, while Sophomore Chris Calvin had 10 rebounds. Neiman had eight points and nine rebounds.
The Wildcats are 4-7 overall 3-7 in the Flint Metro League.