Bethel Game a Microcosm of Season for Oxford Boys Hoops

It was the season in a nutshell for the Oxford High boys basketball team.

The Wolverines step onto the court against a foe with a better record. They play a close game, rescind the lead, fight hard to come back but ultimately the ball, literally, just does not bounce their way.

Oxford lost another close one Tuesday in its final contest of the season, a home game on senior night against Bethel, a team with a .500 record that featured a probable Div. 1 hoops prospect in junior Daniel Garvin, a big man who can play any position on the court. Despite not having such a player, Oxford, once again, had a chance to win down the stretch. Ultimately, though, Bethel prevailed 70-59 in a game that was a lot closer than the final score showed. Oxford finished its season with a 3-17 record.

“The record doesn’t really indicate how well we played all season,” Coach Al Tolomeo said. “I can’t say enough about these guys, especially our six seniors: they set the tone for the season. These guys all came to work every day with a good, can-do attitude. There was no feeling sorry for themselves. They just worked hard.”

In a post-game interview with Oxford Patch, Tolomeo pointed out some positives from the season, including the first time the young program has won two games in the South-West Conference, a league in which Tolomeo said “it’s a war every night.”

Oxford defeated rival Pomperaug at home for the first win of the season. The team also got a big win over Masuk of Monroe.

And Oxford had a great showing on Jan. 25 against Kolbe Cathedral of Bridgeport, the then No. 4 team in the state that is coached by former UConn great Chris Smith. Oxford ultimately lost 83-67 but was in the game until the final minutes and was down by single digits when the third quarter ended.

“That was when we kind of started moving in the right direction, believing we could compete with anybody,” Tolomeo said.

The Wolverines also were tied with state-ranked Immaculate earlier this year with four minutes to go, but two starters fouled out and Oxford kind of “ran out of bullets,” said Tolomeo, who added that his team had another great game in a difficult loss to Newtown, a game in which Oxford was tied with a minute remaining.

Had some of those games gone in Oxford's direction, the Wolverines may have gotten the eight wins necessary to qualify for the state tournament. However, as Tolomeo pointed out, “We played well in those games but kind of laid an egg in a few games we should have won.”

Tuesday was a game in which Oxford looked solid.

The Wolverines played back-and-forth ball despite having a huge matchup problem with the 6-foot, 6-inch Garvin. Oxford threw two hard-nosed - but much shorter - defenders at him all night in Alex Miller and Antonio Lopez. “Those guys did a fantastic job containing (Garvin),” Tolemeo said.

Oxford was down 43-35 at halftime but made some adjustments in the locker room that seemed to work. They tried to penetrate the middle and dish to big men underneath or shooters on the outside; they looked for good shots rather than settling. That combined with points off of fast breaks, paid off as Oxford rattled off a 7-0 run to start the second half and tied the game at 43.

Tyler Gruttadauria, a senior who transferred to Oxford for his final year and led the team in scoring this season, knocked down a big three to give Oxford the lead, 45-44, with 2:45 left in the third quarter.

But the momentum shifted as Bethel got a few quick buckets off fast breaks, including a two-hand jam from Garvin that quieted the Oxford crowd of about 250 people.

Oxford’s all-time leading scorer, Seth Calvanese, hit a jumper from the foul line and a three-pointer from the perimeter in the waning minutes, but also missed a couple threes - with defenders in his face - that would have put Oxford within a one possession of a tie.

Gruttadauria hit a straightaway three with 55 seconds left in the game to make the score 64-59. Oxford called a timeout to discuss strategy, but Bethel was able to get to the free throw line and hit shots. They got a couple fast break layups to close out the game.

Tolomeo pulled his seniors from the game with about 30 seconds left, and the crowd gave the players a much-deserved standing ovation.

“They capped the foundation for the program,” Tolomeo said of his seniors. “Now it’s time for the rest of the guys to build the house and move it forward in terms of wins and loses.”

On Tuesday, Gruttadauria had a team-high 20 points, while senior J.T. VanKamerik had 18 points and 11 rebounds.

Calvanese, a senior, finished with 12 points, while senior Caithan Pratt dished out six assists.

See a photo gallery from Tuesday's game and senior night festivities here.