OXFORD – Wednesday’s contest between the Oxford Blackhawks and Warriors from Sidney was a tale of two halves. Oxford overcame a 15 point deficit at halftime with a 22-5 run in the third quarter in their 51-43 MAC Conference win.

Sidney started the game with a four point lead after the first quarter of play and extended it to 15 with their 17-6 second quarter run. During the eight minute stretch, the Warriors’ Liam Matthews tallied 16 of his game-high 20 points with eight made field goals inside the 3-point arc.

Blackhawks head coach Tim Davis stated that his team didn’t shoot or defend well in the first half, which allowed the visiting team to gain a big lead before the intermission. “We were just playing too upright in the first half,” said Davis.

Out of the break, Oxford settled in, shooting 8-for-14 from the field in the third quarter. In the 22 point run, the Blackhawks drained four from long-distance – two from the hands of Jason Davis.

After beind held scoreless in the first quarter, Jason scored his team-high 17 points over the next three quarters, including his two 3’s and a perfect 2-for-2 at the foul line.

“We shot better, defended better and didn’t turn the ball over as much in the second half,” said Coach Davis on how his team produced the comeback.

With a two point lead heading into the final quarter of play, Oxford out scored the Warriors 15-9 as they held on for the win.

Jason Davis pulled down 14 rebounds to go along with his point total. C.J Smith add eight boards, a couple of which came as offensive rebounds late in the game when the Blackhawks held the lead.

Oxford also saw an outstanding game from Matt Roach as he finished with a season-high 15 points. Brad Beckwith chipped in eight points in the win.

Sidney’s Jon Palmatier scored all 12 of his points behind the 3-point line in the loss.

The Blackhawks play one more before the holiday break when they travel to Chenango Valley for a non-league game on Friday night. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:15 p.m.

Oxford 51, Sidney 43

Sidney 12 17 5 9 – 43

Oxford 8 6 22 15 – 51

Sidney: Ryan Harris 3 1-2-7; Liam Matthews 10 0-2-20; Jon Palmatier 4 0-2-12; Matt Hoskins 1 0-2-2; Mike Gravelin 1 0-0-2. TOTALS: 19 1-8-43.

Oxford: Jacob Murrer 2 0-0-5; Jason Davis 6 2-2-17; Matt Roach 4 5-6-15; CJ Smith 3 0-0-6; Brad Beckwith 4 0-3-8. TOTALS: 19 7-11-51.

Fouled out: (S) Liam Matthews. 3-pointers: (S) Jon Palmatier 4; (O) Jason Davis 3; Matt Roach 2; Jacob Murrer). Officials: Bennett and Mastrogiovani.

Unadilla Valley 72, Bainbridge-Guilford 43