By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
Mustang Basketball Squads Gear Up For Busy Schedule
basketball1

The varsity basketball boys continue to improve but just can’t find a way to translate that improvement into victories. The varsity team fell 48-38 to Merced on New Year’s Eve. No score was provided for the JV game on Dec. 31.

The freshman boys returned to action following Christmas in the Davis Tournament. They went to Davis for the three day tournament and first defeated Beyer 59-38 behind Michael Echavarria’s 30 points, 12 steals, seven assists and six rebounds. Oakdale then faced Central Catholic the next night, but fell short 58-39. Oakdale was down two points with three minutes to go but got into foul trouble, allowing the Raiders to pull away. Echavarria shined for the second straight night scoring 25 points and adding six steals. The boys finished the tournament against Central Valley and won 47-33. Trevor Smith scored a game high 21 points for Oakdale and Steven Morris added 13.

This week, Oakdale squads were scheduled to host Sierra on Tuesday, Jan. 3 to kick off the Valley Oak League season after The Leader went to press. On Thursday night, the teams will host Kimball.

Friday the JV boys are scheduled to travel to Stagg High School for non-league play. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.

 

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Oakdale played two road games to close out 2016 and the varsity Lady Mustangs earned a pair of victories. The girls dominated against Waterford on Dec. 29, 41-24 and followed up with a 49-48 overtime road win over Downey the following night.

Oakdale outscored Waterford 13-1 in the second quarter to pull away from the host team in the Thursday night game. On Friday, the Lady Mustangs erased a three-point fourth quarter defect to force overtime against Downey. Defense was the key to both teams in the overtime period as a total of seven points were scored in the frame. The Lady Mustangs outscored the home team 4-3 for the win.

Oakdale’s JV girls, meanwhile, made short work of Waterford, winning by a 53-20 final. No freshman information was available.

The teams were slated to host Patterson on Monday, Jan. 2 after press time and are scheduled to open up Valley Oak League play on the road. The squads will be traveling to Sierra on Wednesday, Jan. 4 and then go to Kimball on Friday, Jan. 6.