Girls’ Basketball: Sage Hill falls short
CYPRESS — Oxford Academy stuck to the basics in their key Academy League contest against visiting Sage Hill School on Thursday, which was a key game for both teams.
The Patriots were disciplined, unselfish, strong on the boards and near perfect from the free-throw line.
Combine that with two sluggish quarters turned in by the Lightning and the end result was a 50-36 victory for the Patriots, who improved to 16-5 overall and 8-1 in league.
The Lightning came into the game in second place and could have made things interesting with a victory, but instead dropped to 12-10 and 5-4.
“We started to play a little more selfish basketball and not hitting the open players, especially on breaks,” Sage Hill Coach Kerwin Walters said. “We needed better and more efficient passing tonight.”
The Lightning only managed a basket and a pair of free throws in the first quarter and fell behind 11-4.
In the second, Kenna Knollenberg’s three-pointer and baskets from Nataly Shayan Smith, Emily Hublitz and Nadia Akbari helped Sage Hill get to within three points at the half.
But the third was a near duplication of the first for the Lightning, whose only points came on a three-pointer from Park and a free throw by Trinity Cha.
Park led the Lightning with 19, including three three-pointers.
“When you get slow starts against teams like [the Patriots], and you’re battling, battling, battling, it’s a lot of energy expended to make up the ground,” Walters said.
Walters also praised the effort turned in by senior Hublitz, who grabbed five rebounds and battled under the basket all game.
“She kept fighting and fighting,” Walters said. “That is what we want from our senior.”
Sage Hill didn’t have an answer for Oxford Academy’s standout sophomore Austyn Masuno, who scored 11 of her 15 points from the free-throw line and grabbed 17 rebounds.
“She had her moments tonight,” Patriots’ Coach David Clifton said. “She’s a force.”
Oxford Academy also made 11 of 12 free throws in the fourth quarter and hit 15 of 17 for the game.
Thursday’s game was a total departure from the teams’ first matchup on Jan. 12 at Sage Hill, a game in which the Patriots escaped with a 41-40 victory.
“We didn’t play a patient brand of basketball,” Clifton said of his team’s performance in the first game. “We have really slowed our game down quite a bit. Now we are looking for the open shots.”
With three games remaining, the Patriots maintain a stronghold on first place, with Sage Hill battling for second with Whitney, Crean Lutheran and Calvary Chapel.
“I need us to close out strong … and finish on a high note, and hopefully go into the playoffs on a run,” Walker said. “We’re good enough and talented enough to make a run. We just need to put it all together.”
Academy League
Oxford Academy 50, Sage Hill 36
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Sage Hill 4 – 16– 4 – 10 — 36
Oxford 11– 12 – 14 – 13 — 50
SH – Park 19, Ke. Knollenberg 6, Cha 5, Shayan Smith 2, Hublitz 2, Akbari 2.
3-pt. goals – Park 3, Ke. Knollenberg 1.
Fouled out – Ke. Knollenberg.
Technicals – None.
OA – Masuno 15, Chan 11, Lopez 8, Madrazo 6, Perez 6, Gagnon 2, Rodriguez 2.
3-pt. goals – Chan 1.
Fouled out – None.
Technicals – None.