As long as Oxford continues to excel this season in the Midstate Athletic Conference, junior forward Haley Witchella may never accumulate the type of statistics one would expect of a player with her abilities.

Witchella is putting up 14.4 points, 8.5 rebounds. 3.2 steals, 2.5 blocked shots, and shoots 49.1 percent from the field this season – all team-highs, and more than respectable statistics for any varsity basketball player. What makes those numbers more impressive is that she plays barely more than two-thirds of a game averaging 21.5 minutes per contest.

“I don’t know of any of the top scorers in our league that sit out that much,” said Oxford’s second-year head coach, Chris Palmer.

Witchella’s time off the court isn’t by necessity or that she does not merit more minutes on the court. Witchella is part of a special group of Blackhawks that has as much top-to-bottom talent as any Oxford club over the past decade. The Blackhawks are riding the role of front-runner after beating every MAC divisional opponent this season, and are in position to compete for their first league title in five years.

“Statistically, (Haley) may not have the most impressive numbers, but she is there when it matters most,” Palmer would say.

In winning eight straight games dating back to mid-December, a couple of times, Witchella’s presence was needed on the court a bit more than normal. In a win over Unatego, Witchella scored 17 points and grabbed 14 rebounds. Two games later, the Blackhawks stunned preseason league favorite Harpursville by 11 points. In that win, Witchella produced the type of game that could easily be her norm. All she did was score a season-high 19 points, pull down 12 boards, and block a season-high eight shots.