Greene girls outlast Oxford in OT, 42-39

By Pete Mansheffer

Sun Sports Contributor

GREENE – Greene’s ice cold shooting night and Oxford’s 25 turnovers combined to make for an exciting game Friday night, as the host Trojans did just enough to hold off Oxford in overtime for a 42-39 Midstate Athletic Conference girls’ basketball victory.

“It was a great team effort in overtime,” Greene coach Dave Gorton said. “We got some key plays from people like (McKenzie) Drew, who came up with a big rebound and (Madison) Rice, who had a big defensive stop.”

Tied at 35 after regulation, Oxford took a brief two-point lead eleven seconds into the extra session on Jada Albin’s baseline jumper, but an Olivia Kennedy free throw and McKenna Sergi bank shot gave Greene a 38-37 advantage with 2:37 to play in extra time.

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The Blackhawks (6-4) took their last lead of the night when Caitlin Quigley (team-high 18 points) scored off an offensive putback with 56.0 seconds to play, but Emma Smith scored from the right wing to put Greene up for good with 44.4 seconds left.

Oxford had opportunities over the final half-minute, but was thwarted by a pair of turnovers and a couple of missed free throws.

Free throws by Smith and Sergi over the final seven seconds finished off the victory for Greene (8-2), who won despite shooting a miserable 13-for-60 from the field and 11-for-21 from the foul line.

“It was the worst we’ve shot the basketball all season long,” said Gorton. “And, I was actually surprised because we’ve shot the ball really well the past few days in practice.”

Sergi opened the fourth quarter with back-to-back three-balls to give Greene a 35-26 lead, but it was the only points of the quarter for the Trojans, who went scoreless over the final 5:51 of regulation.

Oxford scored the final nine points of the quarter – its second 9-0 run of the night. Quigley scored back-to-back buckets in the low post, including the game-tying hoop with 58 seconds left.

After consecutive turnovers by both teams, Sergi got off a three-pointer at the buzzer that missed, forcing overtime.

“We moved the ball much better in the first half,” Gorton said. “In the second half, we were missing open people by a split second.”

25 turnovers hurt Oxford’s chances, but Coach Chris Palmer was happy for the way his group nearly overcame those mistakes to nearly pull out a tough road victory against its main rival.