Author: Lizeth Castillo
Oxy’s men and women’s basketball teams have brought their best game to the floor and have found themselves on the track towards a successful season in 2008.
With both teams looking to win SCIAC, the season intensifies and the Oxy Tigers have stepped up their game. The men’s team has an impressive record and ranking, holding a 4-1-conference record. “We are doing very well this season,” Chris Pitcher (senior) said. “We have great chemistry because we have a core group of five seniors that have played together for four years.” Although the team has suffered a couple of losses and setbacks, including a conference game loss to Claremont Mudd-Scripps, Pitcher said the team has “bounced back and brought more intensity to practice.” Head Basketball Newhall commended the team for their phenomenal season. “Improving today is a consistent theme for our team. The team is embracing this concept and working very hard at practice,” Newhall said. “[The team is] more well rounded and much better defensively than last year.”
The women’s basketball team has similarly enjoyed a great season. Starting off with an 8-3 preseason record that places them 12-5 overall, with a 4-2 conference record, the team’s impressive record has put a SCIAC Championship within reach. The team’s Associate Head coach, Avi Meyerson believes the team is in for a spectacular season. “We played our best basketball of the year right before winter break and we are looking to improve on that form,” he said. “We are far more prepared than last season because of our experience and talent.” Much like the men’s team, the women’s team has suffered some heart-breaking defeats, including a one-point loss to Redlands two weeks ago. The team’s play has improved as a result of these close games. Similarly, Meyerson reveals that the women’s team hopes to finish with a good enough record to qualify for the conference tournament. The team plans on performing at their best in the coming decisive matches.
Meyerson noted how Dior Williams (sophomore), one of the team’s all conference players, broke her foot at the beginning of the season, putting a strain on the team as a whole. The team is now anticipating their second game against reigning conference champions La Verne on February 2. Meyerson said that although the team hit their “dog-days” of the year, after the winter break, they have now found their rhythm and defensive intensity. This has brought them four wins in the last five games. Meyerson is confident that the players are now “back to the winning ways.” “The team has come together and players have stepped up,” he said.
With 10 games left in the men’s season and nine left in the women’s season, both teams are hoping for a successful end to the year. “The goal as always is to win SCIAC and to go to the NCAA tournament,” Pitcher said, “It is an attainable goal with this team.”
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