Phoenix girls ranked in top five in county

After suffering just their third loss of the season last week, the Oberlin High School girls basketball team quickly got back on track with two more wins, pushing their overall record to 9-3 (5-1 PAC).

During a non-conference match against New London last Monday night, the Phoenix struggled to score against a tough 1-2-2 zone, slowly falling behind as the game wore on. After sinking a timely 3-pointer at the half-time buzzer to draw within six, 26-20, the Phoenix regrouped in the locker room and emerged with hopes of getting right back into the game. New London, however, had other plans, and rapidly pulled ahead, outscoring Oberlin 15-7 during the third quarter to build their lead to 14 points, at 41-27.

In the fourth quarter, the Phoenix tried to find a way to knock the Wildcats off their rhythm. They switched up their defense several times, and managed to score a few easy baskets off their pressure player-to-player match-up to cut the lead to 11. But New London came right back and scored again, and the Phoenix could draw no closer the rest of the way, losing by a final score of 53-36. Sophomore Kayla Jackson was the leading scorer for Oberlin with 12 points, followed by seniors Adrianna Young with 10 and Amari Foster with seven.

Two nights later against Black River, the Phoenix scored first and never looked back as they cruised to an easy win in the PAC divisional crossover match up. Young (15 pts), Foster (13 pts) and Jackson (10 pts) all hit double figures in the scoring column, combining for 38 points in the 47-30 win. Foster also pulled down 10 rebounds to record her second double-double performance of the season.

Once again, the third quarter proved to be an important turning point in the game, but this time it was to Oberlin's advantage, as the squad poured in 21 points in eight minutes to swell their lead to 39-22, effectively putting the game out of reach. The team shot a collective 9 of 12 during that stanza, including a perfect 3-for-3 from 3-point range. Facing the very same 1-2-2 defense that had stymied them two days earlier, Oberlin picked apart Black River's zone with excellent inside-out and interior passing.

"It was great seeing our team take the lessons from Monday's loss and apply them on the court for a victory tonight," coach Nancy Boutilier said after the game. "We need to keep learning from each game -- win or lose -- and make adjustments to improve our own play."

Other key contributions to the Black River win came from senior Nicole Isabell, who had four points and five rebounds, senior Sarah Andrews, who chipped in four points and blocked four shots, and sophomore Asia Alston who added five rebounds and three blocked shots.

On Saturday, the Phoenix traveled a few blocks west to take on Lake Ridge Academy in a "home game" at Oberlin College's Philips Gym. While the change in scenery seemed to throw off the team's shooting touch, the Phoenix passing game opened up in the larger venue.

Taking a lesson from their win over Black River, Oberlin scored early and often, leading the entire way. The team's collective struggle to convert open shots in the paint kept the score a lot closer than the Phoenix team play exhibited. Overall, the Phoenix shot just 28 percent from the floor (17/59), and fared no better at the foul line, hitting only one of their five free throws. However, their ball movement was good, their defense solid, and their rebounding outstanding, and on those strengths they gutted their way to a hard-earned 37-25 victory.

Lake Ridge's Mary Shimko led all scoring with 14 points, and Amari Foster notched a double-double for the second game in a row, tallying her team's high 11 points and 12 rebounds. Asia Alston had a good night on the boards, grabbing 11 rebounds to contribute to Oberlin's significant rebounding margin. Kayla Jackson (6 rebounds) and Nicole Isabell (5 rebounds) were also busy on the boards, while Adrianna Young led the team with four steals.

The Phoenix girls, who are currently ranked in the top five teams in the county, will continue the PAC crossover portion of their schedule next week, taking on two more Stars division opponents. Oberlin will host Wellington on Wednesday, Jan. 20, and then head to Keystone on Saturday, Jan. 23; game times for both days will be JV at 6 and varsity at 7:30 p.m.