WEST POINT — With 16 football players working to transition to another season, the Oak Hill Academy boys basketball team has been looking for an offensive flow.
The flow came in the nick of time Tuesday night.
After struggling through lackluster performances in its first four games, Oak Hill Academy played its best offensive half of the season in the second half Tuesday night to earn a 53-45 victory against Heritage Academy.
“We have really been looking for an offensive rhythm,” Oak Hill sophomore Ken Dill said. “In the second half of this game we were really good. Everybody was sharing the basketball. Everybody was getting rebounds. You can tell we are getting there.”
Oak Hill Academy is considered one of the preseason favorites for the Mississippi Association of Independent Schools Class AA state championship this season. To get there, the Raiders will need more dominating performances like they had to close business Tuesday night.
Heritage Academy (1-3) held a 37-33 lead one possession into the final quarter. Back-to-back 3-pointers by Drew Riley and Dill gave the Raiders the lead for good. On the next possession, Dill stole in the inbounds pass and fed Drew Riley, who was fouled and converted a three-point play.
“We played a lot harder in the second half,” Oak Hill Academy coach Brian Middleton said. “We want all of our guys to play as many sports as possible because each sport complements the other, so it is has taken a while to get everybody going. The things were have been talking about in practice are the things we were able to do when the game was on the line.”
Middleton lamented his team’s 14-of-30 performance at the free-throw line, claiming his team could have had earlier separation with a better performance the stripe.
Still, the Raiders (3-2) are much a work in process.
“We were so focused on the football season,” said Oak Hill Academy senior Riley Pierce, who quarterbacked the Raiders. “We don’t even think about basketball until it’s over. Then one day, it’s over and we are all here in the basketball gym.
“We have a lot of great players here in basketball, too. It’s just a matter of getting focused in and playing well consistently. We had some really good offensive flow in the second half of this game, so hopefully that will carry over.”
The teams combined to miss the first 15 shots taken from the floor. Eventually, a few attempts found the range, as Oak Hill Academy eased into halftime with a 20-19 advantage.
Long-range 3-pointers by Walker Brown and Hayden Peel helped Heritage Academy take the lead in the third quarter and give a large student section something to cheer about.
“It felt like we were playing a road game,” Pierce said. “Their student section was larger than ours and it was right behind our bench. Fortunately, we settled down and didn’t get rattled. Once we made some shots, we had a better night going.”
Still, the night wasn’t really what Middleton and the Raiders wanted until the final 6 minutes, 56 seconds. That was when Dill made his 3-pointer to energize the home crow. The Raiders then went to work a little harder to secure the victory.
“We rebounded better in the second half,” Middleton said. “We defended the passing lanes better and we were more alert. We had that extra step in the second half. We know we have some players capable. We just have to play consistently. I think the second-half performance here will carry over.”
Drew Riley and Dill each had 11 points to pace Oak Hill Academy, while Kaleb Darnell added 10 points. Dill also had a team-high six rebounds and three assists. Matthew Gwathney also had six rebounds, while Drake Riley had five rebounds.
Heritage Academy received 11 points from Brown. Nine Patriots scored.
In the opener, the Oak Hill Academy girls survived a furious Heritage Academy rally to post a 36-30 victory.
Oak Hill Academy (8-3) led by as many as 14 points before Heritage Academy closed within four points in the final minute.
“Our defensive pressure in the first three quarters was outstanding,” Middleton said. “Both teams really struggled to make shots. When you have a night like that from the field, you really have to play even harder on the defensive end.”
Sarah Dill led the Lady Raiders with 20 points, while freshman Julia Bristow had eight points — all in the second half.
“I think the story of the game was Julia Bristow,” Middleton said. “She is a ninth-grader and she really stood up there and made some big shots. Sarah played well all night and really carried us. However, we also got a huge list from Julia because we needed each shot she made in the second half.”
Harli Sesser and Lauren Pole each had 10 points to lead Heritage Academy.
Follow Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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