Oxford Girls Lose to Masuk

The Masuk girls basketball team enjoyed a dominating performance on both the offensive and defensive ends, defeating Oxford High School by a score of 53-23 at David Strong Gymnasium on Monday night. The victory was made even sweeter for Masuk by the fact that it was Senior Night for the Lady Panthers, as co-captains Emily Antenucci, Brooke Butkovsky and Kelsey Kovachik were honored during a pre-game ceremony.

“Everybody played and all of the seniors scored, which were two of my goals for the game,” said Coach Dave Strong. “They (the three seniors) played very well. Brooke had a great game, Emily had two three-pointers and Kelsey, our center, who struggles from the free throw line, made 2 for 2.”

Despite some erratic ball control in the first few minutes of the game, Masuk’s defense was stellar. Oxford had virtually no good looks at the basket, and was victimized by turnovers on nearly every possession. Meanwhile, the Lady Panthers seemingly began finding their rhythm offensively, with Butkovsky contributing 8 of her 16 points in the frame.

Thanks to a lot of second-chance opportunities from offensive rebounds, Masuk ran out to a big lead. A 3-pointer by Antenucci (11 points) put them up 11-0, and forced Oxford to call a timeout in an attempt to break their stride. The Masuk defense held its opponent scoreless throughout the entire first quarter, and held a 15-0 advantage going into the second.

Oxford began a bit of a rally on offense to begin the second quarter, but failed to capitalize on Masuk’s foul trouble, hitting just 3 of 8 from the charity stripe. In the final minute, junior point guard Michelle Wu stole the ball on two consecutive possessions by Oxford, converting one for a layup and hitting two free throws on the other.

Wu’s four quick points just before halftime seemed to break the opposition’s back.  Going into the locker room, the Lady Panthers held a 24-7 advantage.

While Masuk’s offense took some time to warm up, their defense was brilliant from the opening whistle.

“That’s what we’ve been doing all season long, a good defensive team all season long,” said Strong, about his team. “When we play offense we beat a good team, when we don’t play offense we struggle with anybody. One of our goals on offense was moving the ball and getting open shots, and we did. Overall, I’m very pleased.”

 The third quarter saw Antenucci make a running layup and draw the foul, just a few seconds in. After that, it was smooth sailing for the home team. Masuk began building on its lead, which eventually reached 29 points (43-14) 30 seconds into the fourth.

At the 7:08 mark, Coach Strong took all 3 seniors out to a standing ovation from the crowd. In addition to a team-high 16 points, Butkovsky also paced the team with 8 rebounds. Kovachik grabbed 5 boards as well.

Before departing, Michelle Wu led the team in assists and steals, getting 5 apiece.

Coach Strong emptied his bench for the remainder of the final stanza, allowing a lot of the younger players to gain some valuable playing time. A trio of 3-pointers allowed the Lady Panthers to shut the door, and cruise to a 53-23 win.

For the Wolverines, senior captain Sam Erner led the team with 10 points.

“Oxford’s been hit with some injuries, and they’re not the team now that they were earlier in the season,” said Strong.

When asked about getting some experience for the freshmen and sophomores, Strong said it definitely helps in getting geared up for this season and beyond.

“We would’ve loved two or three games earlier in the season, where we could’ve gotten all the young kids in and gained some experience. It turns out the way our schedule breaks that it's happening towards the end of the season. But it’s certainly very, very helpful for next year.”

Hoping to build on two straight wins, and an impressive showing on Seniors Night, the Masuk Lady Panthers (13-6, 10-4 SWC) will travel to Bethel on Friday night (Feb. 16) for their next game. Game time will be 7 p.m. at the Bethel High School gymnasium.