On Jan 12. Oxford’s JV and varsity athletes entered the court and field for the 2024 HOCO games, prepared to face off against Oxford’s rival school, Whitney.
With a total of six games played by all levels of boys and girls basketball as well as varsity boys soccer, it was an eventful night with high pace games and seat-gripping moments, one that can be considered a great showcase of Oxford spirit and grit.
Kicking off the day with varsity boys soccer, Oxford made great offensive plays to start and kept the momentum going all afternoon. Finishing the game with a 4-1 score, boys soccer took home a win for the Patriots.
Next in line for the games, JV girls basketball attempted to keep the winning streak going. After much back and forth, Whitney managed to edge out Oxford with a few point lead, eventually landing at a 31-38 point score by the end of the 4th period.
The Lady Patriots kept their heads held high though, as the varsity team ventured into the gym to see if they could beat the Wildcats. The game seemed close at first, with the Wildcats only ahead by a handful of points at a time. However as the game progressed, the Wildcats continued to make and succeed in their offensive plays, and their lead grew as a result. The game ended at 30-71, with a win for the guest team.
“It was a tough loss but I think we can grow from it, [both] individually and as a team,” varsity freshmen Emma Noble said. “Now we know how to defend each player better, and we can take that and use it against Cerritos and Pioneer.”
At this point in the night, tensions were high, with only one game remaining, and one opportunity left to win for the Patriots. The audience was anxious to see how the final game of the day would unfold.
Oxford varsity boys basketball began strong, having a small lead by the end of the first period at 5-3. The two teams seemed to be evenly matched, with equal parts offensive attacks and strong defense on both sides. The Patriots especially had effective defense, as they managed to keep their lead once the buzzer marked half time as the score was 11-9.
However, as the third period started, the game started to take a turn for the Patriots. The Wildcats managed to sneak in a well-timed three pointer and a couple of other shots, bumping the score to 18-24. The Patriots kept their spirits up though as they pushed through the fourth period, closing the gap and remaining at a steady 25-30 for most of the time remaining. In the end though, the Wildcats took home the win with a final score of 26-33.
Although losing to the Wildcats, these games serve as motivation for athletes to keep moving forward and to keep working hard for more games to come.
