Sports
High School Hoops: Adams Captures Overtime Win Against Oxford
The Highlanders defeated the Oxford Wildcats 52-49 in overtime.
A back-and-forth overtime battle ended with the on top of the Oxford Wildcats 52-49.
The Highlanders were beating the Wildcats 24-14 at halftime, but let them back into the game.
Oxford’s Ben Magdaleno tied the game with six seconds left in regulation to send the game to overtime, but the Highlanders' defense was too strong to let Oxford get the victory in comeback fashion.
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The Hero: Akhemji Williams came back after a turnover in overtime with a steal and assist to Hammett to give the Highlanders the lead with about a minute left to play.
The Turning Point: Oxford tied the game with six seconds left in regulation to send the game to overtime.
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The Highlanders regained momentum by sinking shots and causing turnovers to solidify the victory.
The Quote: “We played fantastic defense the entire game,” Adams head coach John Hall said. “We were very physical against a very physically strong opponent.”
“Adams is well-coached and did a great job at the defensive end,” Oxford head coach Paul Marfia said.
“The kids never got frustrated and never lost their composure,” Hall said. “For us to keep our composure and finish the game strong was huge.”
The Bottom Line: Adams blew a double-digit lead in the second half to let Oxford back in the game.
Overtime was back-and-forth basketball, but a quick steal by Akhemji Williams gave the Highlanders the lead with about a minute left to play. Andrew Hammett made the layup off Williams' steal and a free throw to notch the 3-point victory.
Key Stat: The Highlanders shot 16-for-25 from the free-throw line compared to Oxford’s 5-for-11.
Andrew Hammett scored 19 points, shooting 5-for-8 from the line with two 3-pointers.
Oxford’s effort was led by Mark Hazelwood, who scored 17 points, made three 3-pointers and shot 1-for-3 from the line.
Who’s next? Adams plays Romeo in a semifinal on Wednesday at 7 p.m. The victor will play the winner of Stoney Creek vs. Rochester for the district championship.
