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Friday Night Clean Sweep For Lady Mustang Hoopsters
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Varsity player Madelyn Ruthman, 13, a senior, works hard to guard against her Central Catholic opponent during second half action on Friday night. Oakdale utilized strong play in the third and fourth quarters to take the Valley Oak League victory. Marg Jackson/The Leader
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Dribbling in toward the basket, JV Lady Mustang Macie Gregory, 5, looks to evade the Turlock Christian defender. The host JV girls defeated their opponent on Friday night by a 58-22 final. Marg Jackson/The Leader

Both Central Catholic and Turlock Christian sent girls basketball teams to Oakdale on Friday night – and both opponents went away with losses on their records.

The freshmen and varsity took on Central while the JV girls upended Turlock Christian.

For the varsity girls, head coach Julie Ford saw her squad battle back from a halftime deficit against a taller Central Catholic team, refusing to be intimidated and slowly taking control as the third quarter wound its way into the fourth frame.

The visiting team had a 17-14 lead after one and doubled up the host Lady Mustangs, 16-8, in the second to enjoy a double digit lead at the half, 33-22.

But a 10-point effort from Oakdale’s Alicia Platt in the third quarter provided the spark, as the host team outscored Central 17-9 in that frame to trail by just three points, 42-39, entering the fourth quarter.

It was more of the same in the final period, Oakdale frustrating Central with a 17-10 run to put the Valley Oak League game in the win column, 56-51.

“I’m really proud of my girls’ efforts and attitudes. They refused to give up when down 11 points at halftime and responded like a veteran team, even though they’re actually a very young team,” explained Ford. “Every player contributed to the victory, which made it that much sweeter.”

For the game, Platt poured in a team high 24 points, with 22 of them coming in the second half. Grace Higle added 16 and the Lady Mustangs hit some key free throws down the stretch to put the game out of reach.

Earlier in the week, Oakdale took a loss to the Sierra Timberwolves, 53-43. A tough second quarter, where they were outscored 11-6, put Oakdale in a 27-21 hole at the half and they couldn’t quite complete the comeback. Platt had 16 points on the night, Higle added 13.

 

JUNIOR VARSITY

Facing off with Turlock Christian on Friday night, it was an easy 58-22 victory for the JV Lady Mustangs. Oakdale was never really challenged in the contest, as they enjoyed a scoring edge in every quarter and had a 25-13 lead at the half. Turlock Christian never found an offensive rhythm and Oakdale capitalized, outscoring their opponent 20-8 in the third quarter, 13-1 in the fourth to walk off with the victory. Aiden Hill had 19 points and five steals, Madison Jones added 13 rebounds while Abby Cogburn had 14 points and Alexia Martin chipped in with five rebounds.

Wednesday action against Sierra resulted in a 38-28 win for Oakdale, paced by 16 points from Hill and seven from Cogburn, with seven rebounds by Jones and four assists from Brooke Crowley.

 

FRESHMEN

It was a 43-34 win for Oakdale’s youngest basketball girls on Friday night, taking down Central Catholic. Savannah Borba had 14 points and Tori Cadwell was also in double digits with 12. Central had the lead at the half but a 12-6 run by Oakdale in the third and 17-4 in the fourth quarter provided the margin of victory.

Hosting Sierra on Wednesday, Oakdale battled but fell just a little short, 35-32. Ruby Fink had eight points for the freshmen, with three players – Borba, Cadwell and Alivia Antinetti – each contributing six points to the team total.