Oxford had a stated purpose after an unsatisfactory performance at the STOP-DWI Tournament in late-December. That goal, beyond a division title – which was won handily – and a MAC championship, something that eluded its grasp, was a return to the “big floor.”
“Our goal since the (STOP-DWI) tournament has been to get back to the Arena,” said Oxford coach Tim Davis, who has led his club to three division titles in four years.
This, however, is the deepest any of the Davis-led clubs have ventured in the Section IV playoffs. Tomorrow at 6:45 p.m. at the Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena, Oxford (19-3) faces off with top-seeded Union Springs (19-3) for the Class C championship.
While Oxford has made some overtures at a sectional playoff run over the past 38 years, one has to rewind back to 1970 to discover the last Oxford club that won a sectional championship. In those days, though, the state playoff system was not in place, and a sectional title was the pinnacle of high school varsity basketball. To put it in perspective, the last championship was the year head coach Davis was born.
That could all change, although the Wolves present as tough a challenge as the Blackhawks have faced all season. Union Springs’ defense has rendered fewer points than any team still playing. Coming off a 56-28 quarterfinals win over Tioga, the Wolves limited Walton – the same Walton team that beat Oxford in the MAC title game two weeks ago – to 20 percent shooting in a 48-33 victory.
It was not nearly as decisive as the final score may indicate. As late as the five-minute mark of the third quarter, Walton led by a point. A 25-9 spurt the rest of the way sent Union Springs into the title contest. “They’re a fundamentally sound team that plays good team defense,” Davis said. “But we play good defense, too.”
In two sectional wins, Wolves defensive specialist Mike Howell has 24 points, Devon Brady 23, and Pat Chandler 20. Six-foot-five center Julius McCrary had a double figures scoring game against Tioga, as did Nick Schooley. Doing the math, all five Springs starters have double figures scoring games in the playoffs.
On the Blackhawks’ side, 6-foot-4 junior guard Craig Champlin poured in a career-high 30 points – more than double his average – in a blowout of Candor. Champlin and senior Scott Seiler, combined for a little more than 29 points a game during the regular season, but those two are not the only Oxford players to have consistently reached double figures. Forward Jeff Champlin is an occasional double figures scorer and rebounder, while reserves Cory Seiler, Tom Gould, and Robert Amor are not mere spot-fillers when they enter the contest. All three contribute on the offensive and defensive end, and all three are potential difference makers in this contest.
Of all the Oxford players, perhaps Amor found the Broome County Arena confines the most friendly with a pair of double figures scoring games to his credit. Said Davis recently about the Arena: “Both of our losses, we had one bad quarter that killed us.”
One bad quarter Saturday evening could end the Blackhawks’ hope of ending a 38-year title drought. “Our focus is to try to go out and play well in every quarter and win every quarter,” Davis said. “We had a little bit of a lull with our division schedule, but I think we were rejuvenated after the Walton loss.”