Hoopsters still searching for first victory

By Nicole Laidlaw
Sports Correspondent
The Oxford varsity boy’s basketball team has yet to win a game this season.
The Wildcats lost 61-52 to Clio Friday night, making that their third straight loss. Their record is now 0-3 and 0-1 in the Flint Metro League.
Sluggish play in the first half resulted to Oxford’s 12-point deficit going into half time. The half ended with Oxford being down 28-16.
Oxford came out in the second half looking much better, scoring 36 points, but could not overcome the numerous turnovers and easy lay-ups that they had given up defensively.
Clio added 33 points in the second half to win the game by nine. ‘We committed too many turnovers and missed too many lay-ups to be successful,? said Coach Steve Laidlaw.
Laidlaw cited Ryan Markowitz and Adam Peterson for having strong performances against Clio. Markowitz went 2-3 shooting and scored four points within only nine minutes of play.
Senior Brandon Dugan lead Oxford in scoring for the third time this season. He had 20 points and made four three-point shots. Junior Zach Tilley put in 13 points and senior Adam Peterson added 10 to the board. Senior Vinnie Ives had an all-around strong game with seven rebounds, six assists and four steals.
The Cats gave up their second loss Dec. 12 against Royal Oak 62-48. Brandon Dugan scored 25 points and Zach Tilley scored 15 points.
Despite their two losses, Coach Laidlaw was encouraged by his team’s strong fourth quarter in both games.
The Cats play away tonight against Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood.