Kieran Coffey
Evening Sun Contributor
OXFORD - The Oxford Blackhawks varsity girls' basketball team fell victim to the Unatego Spartans 54-25 on their home court last night, Dec. 22. After coming off of a 40-point loss to Hancock on Dec. 18, the Blackhawks losing streak now stands at seven games.
The result of the game never really seemed to be in doubt. After a strong start from Oxford, Unatego jumped out to a nine-point lead thanks to an 8-0 run that ended the first quarter. Oxford continued to struggle, and only managed to score four points in the second quarter. Unatego led at the half by 14, on a score of 25-11.
“We struggled a little bit turning the ball over. We turned it over 27 times in the first half, which is a games worth of turnovers in itself. We gave up 13 points from the foul line in the first half. I mean, you’re going to give up some, but we could have been in striking distance if we held that to a reasonable number,” said Blackhawks head coach Chris Palmer.
The second half was no better for the Blackhawks. They put up a good fight in the third quarter, scoring 11 points. However, they could only manage to muster three points in the fourth off of a three-point play from number 13, Hannah Ryan, who finished as Oxford’s leading scorer with seven points. They were outscored 14-3 in the fourth quarter and ultimately suffered a 29-point defeat.
Free throws were a major part of the outcome. Unatego shot 61 percent from the free throw line, going 19 of 31 for the game, while Oxford struggled at the line, shooting only 26 percent for the game on 4 of 15.
