Growing Pains

Thursday, 19 December 2013 13:54

Oxford Attack teams learning from recent losses

The Oxford Attack Under 14 Major Bantam Boys competitive basketball team dropped a pair of close games to the Stratford Revolution and St. Thomas Shock to identical 47-41 scores.

The Attack knew Stratford’s superior height would cause problems inside the key but the real difference in the game was a growing trend for the Attack boys of committing too many turnovers. The Attack were playing in constant catch up mode after starting the game down 10 points after the first quarter due to multiple turnovers and subsequent layups for their opponent. The Attack battled back at the end of the game with Attack reserves Cooper Gilson, Zackary Dykeman, Adam Bullen and Matthew Keith rallying their team to close the gap on the scoreboard. Dykeman netted his first points of the season for the Attack and is improving every game.

The Attack also started slowly against St. Thomas due to multiple turnovers once again but closed the gap late in the game. Key free throws by Matthew Keith and a 3-point play by Brandon Cowan put the Attack up 2 points with 5 seconds to play. The Shock took a desperation shot as time expired that miraculously found the bottom of the net. The Attack boys ran out of energy and lost in overtime. Cowan led the team with 21 points while Ben Jentz continues to rapidly improve by netting 7 points. Callaghan Bullen garnered 7 steals.

The Attack are now off for the holidays but return on Jan 11 to host a friendly tournament at Ecole Secondaire Notre Dame in Woodstock. The Attack play at 9:00 am, 10:30 am and 4:30 pm.

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The Oxford Attack Under 12 Major Atom Girls competitive basketball team lost 3 games in a strong AA caliber tournament in Flamborough over the weekend.

This is the first year for the U12 girls playing OBA basketball and while the losses on scoreboard accumulated on the weekend the learning experience was invaluable for the girls as they continue to improve their basic individual skills in practice and their ability to play as a team in competitive games.

The Attack opened the tournament against the host Flamborough Fire and jumped out to a surprisingly early lead to shock the host team. The Attack played very well the rest of the game and lost a competitive game 36-22. Hannah Cowan led the Attack with 8 points. Emma Hagen-Johnson and Jaime Magoffin netted 4 points each.
The Attack next faced a tough Oakville Venom squad and fell 33-13. Amanda Witmer played an excellent game on defense and tallied 4 points on offense. Logan Machin also notched 4 points for team.

The Attack finished pool play against the eventual silver medal winning Niagara Rangers and dropped a tough 44-10 decision. The Attack witnessed how well 11 year old girls can play competitive basketball that have been together for 3 years.

The Attack are now off for the holidays and resume their season next year with another tournament in Ancaster.