The Oak Hill Golden Eagles certainly had their fair share of struggles in their bout against Wabash on Tuesday evening.
They only scored eight points in the first half, turned the ball over 14 times in the opening three quarters, which allowed the Apaches to score several easy baskets and build a double-digit advantage, and made just seven of their first 33 field goal attempts.
Despite this, the Golden Eagles continued to battle, showing grit and heart in a ferocious fourth quarter comeback that saw them trim an 18-point deficit down to a single point.
However, Oak Hill’s early labors proved a little too much to overcome, as the Apaches held on to win by a final score of 44-41.
The contest started out even, as both teams traded a pair of baskets for an early 4-4 tie, but the Apaches’ defense stiffened, holding the Golden Eagles off the scoreboard until their last possession – a Nikki Alston triple. Behind a 13-3 run, and five Oak Hill giveaways, Wabash took a 13-7 lead after the first quarter.
The Golden Eagles’ scoring woes continued in the second quarter. Oak Hill finished 0-for-9 from the field, and Carlee Biddle scored the Golden Eagles’ lone point of the stanza on a free throw with 19.7 seconds left.
The Apaches took advantage, scoring 13 points and forcing four more Oak Hill turnovers to take a 26-8 lead at the halftime break.
“I did not think that we played with the type of intensity and desire that we needed to play with in the first two-and-a-half quarters,” Oak Hill Head Coach Clay Bolser said. “Anybody that watched it could see that.”
But as the second half progressed, Oak Hill began to gain more and more confidence, and by the end of the third quarter, despite trailing 31-17, the momentum began to shift.
Oak Hill’s fortunes changed in the fourth quarter when they switched to a full-court pressure defense. The strategy worked to perfection, as Oak Hill forced six turnovers in the final eight minutes, and their aggressive defensive play provided a jolt to the offense as well.
Audrey Leak, who had not scored up to that point, provided the spark, starting out the quarter with a triple. A few minutes later, Alston knocked down a three while being fouled and capitalized on the rare four-point play, cutting Wabash’s lead down to 10 points.
At the 4:20 mark, Leak struck again, hitting her second three of the evening to trim the Apaches’ advantage to seven. From that moment on, the Golden Eagles did not trail by any more than nine points.
Oak Hill kept up the pressure as the fourth quarter progressed. Trailing by seven in the latter stages, Leak recorded her third triple, and Treniti Thurman hit a three of her own with 4.5 seconds left to make a one-point game, but their comeback effort fell just short. Wabash hit timely free throws down the stretch to secure the three-point triumph.
Leak led the Golden Eagles in scoring with 11 points, all in the fourth quarter, while Nikki Alston collected 10 points off the bench. Mariah Wyatt collected a double-double for Wabash with 14 points and 12 rebounds.
While they were unable to pull it out, the Golden Eagles proved that when they play with confidence, they can play with anybody. Now, for Bolser, it is about making them believe that fact every night they step out on the hardwood.
“This can’t be defined by wins and losses. It has to be defined by the progress and the process of what we are going to do,” Bolser said. “Our biggest problem is lack of confidence. It’s a mental block. We aren’t the biggest team. We don’t have the most experienced team. But we have basketball players that know how to play the game. They just need to go. I need them to stop thinking as much and just [play.]”
However, even in the loss, Bolser continues to be pleased with his team’s progress, and plans to keep building and keep working as the season marches on.
“I’m proud of the way that they have bought in to everything,” Bolser said. “They are doing a lot of great things. This team is a lot better than their record is, and we are not going to worry about our record at this point. We are going to worry about continuing to improve, continuing to compete, and laying the path for however long we have to.”
