After recovering from their two-point loss to Farmington, the Oxford boys varsity basketball team is once again on a four-game winning streak with their latest 68-42 win over Berkley High School Feb. 6.
‘We’re playing great ball right now,? said Head Coach Stephan Henning. ‘That win at Berkley, we beat them by 25. That was a great morale booster for our team and gave us a lot more confidence heading into the final stretch of the season.?
The winning streak kicked off on Jan. 24 when the Wildcats defeated the Stoney Creek Cougars 60-48. Junior sharpshooter Connor Elzerman had a game high of 29 points with added effort from junior guard Del Alexander and senior center Alex Hesse.
From there, the boys beat Harrison High School 57-38. ‘The kids I don’t think realize how good we can be because at Harrison we were only up by two (heading into the second half),? Henning added. ‘But when they started playing the way we’re supposed to, defensively and for each other, we blew the game wide open.?
In the game against Harrison, Elzerman again led the Wildcats with 19 points and Hesse chipped in 16 points.
The boys defeated Hazel Park 57- 46 Feb. 3. While the Vikings entered the second half with a solid 18-10 lead, the shooting duo of Elzerman with 20 points and Hesse with 16 points and 17 rebounds proved to be too much.
Despite how well they’re playing right now, Henning feels his boys can still do better.
‘I don’t think we’ve reached that peak yet because we’ve played (well) for two quarters or two-and-a-half,? he said. ‘We have yet to play four quarters of our best basketball, which is scary.?
While currently in second place in the league with an 8-6 overall record and 6-2 in the league, Henning said if they continue to play their style of ball, they will be in the running for the league championship.
‘I just feel very confident,? he said. ‘I believe our players feel they have a serious chance at the title and I’ve been telling them for the past eight games that we control our own destinies and I think the players really believe in that.? The boys play 7 p.m. Friday at home against Royal Oak.