The Vikings just don’t know who the go-to player will from game to game.
After struggling to score against Edward Little a week ago, Oxford Hills has started to develop some consistent offense, but the go-to scorer has varied. Erin Morton led the team last Friday in a win over Portland. Tuesday night, it was freshman Jadah Adams leading the way in a 67-44 win over Leavitt.
“We’re one of those teams, whether its good or bad, on any given night, we’re not sure who’s going to be the one to score,” Oxford Hills coach Nate Pelletier said. “Erin (Morton) had 24 the other night and Jadah scored in the 20s tonight. As a coach, you look for that one kid that can be consistent for us, but as an opposing coach, it’s tough if you don’t know who’s going to score on the other team. If we can make sure we have the scoring, it’s a good thing.”
The Vikings (3-1) had the offense against the Hornets (2-3). Adams scored 24, all but two coming in the final three quarters. Tianna Sugars added 11 points while Morton had 10.
“It felt great,” Adams said. “I think that’s the highest I’ve scored in a while.”
The Vikings also got scoring from six other players. After scoring just 32 against EL last week, Oxford Hills has scored 62 and 67 points respectively in the last two outings.
“We’ve done a lot of different things in practice to try to get us more up tempo and use our athleticism more in games,” Pelletier said. “That obviously is to get us more shots, and we’ve been making some shots.”
That wasn’t the case for Leavitt. The Hornets scored just five points in the first quarter and never found any flow on the offensive end. Leavitt shot 2-for-14 in the first quarter and then missed its first seven shots of the second, finishing 3-for13 overall in the quarter.
“It was a struggle all night,” Leavitt coach Dave Gerrish said. “Oxford Hills made us do some things we didn’t want to do. They played really well.”
Sophia Gilbert led the Hornets with 16 points, all but four came in the final quarter. Chantel Eels was Leavitt’s most consistent presence and finished with 14.
Though Leavitt jumped out to an early lead, the Vikings quickly took control. After a 3 from Eells and a basket from Gilbert, Adams tied the game with a transition basket. That started a run of eight straight that put the Vikings up 11-5 after the first. Sugars led the attack with six straight points during that surge.
“I think we’ve kind of gelled more as a team,” Adams said. “I knew I was nervous the first couple of games. I’m coming in as a freshman. I’m playing with girls that I’ve seen play for a couple of years. It’s kind of nerve-wracking, but I think throughout the practices we’ve had, I’ve been getting more comfortable and playing how I can play.”
Adams led the Vikings in the second with nine points, and Oxford Hills expanded its lead to 26-12 at the half. The Vikings used a 9-3 run to open the quarter to build the lead. Adams scored two straight, finishing off a nice pass from Sugars on the second basket. After a 3 from Leavitt’s Carlee Long, Adams had a three-point play and Allyssa Hanley hit a jumper for a 20-8 lead. Later in the quarter, the Vikings scored another six straight on free throws by Sugars and field goals by Maighread Laliberte and Adams.
“When every kid trusts their teammate on the floor to pass to and to make shots, it’s a great thing,” Pelletier said. “At times, that happened tonight.”
The Viking continued to roll in the second half. Oxford Hills opened the third with a 14-4 run. Hanley, Morton, Sugars, Adams and Erin Eastman all scored during that spurt. Adams had eight in the quarter as Oxford Hills outscored the Hornets 23-11.
“We didn’t play with much energy tonight,” Gerrish said. “Oxford Hills really did, and they played great.”
Leavitt made some advances in the fourth against the Vikings bench. Gilbert had 12 points while Eells had five. The Hornets also lost two players to fouls. Oxford Hills still preserved the lead with five points from Adams. Eastman hit a 3 while Morton, Emma Davidson, Anna Piirainen and Jayden Colby all hit free throws.
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