Oxford's girls roll into state Class D basketball final with 21-point win
A far quicker, mobile and aggressive Oxford squad overwhelmed Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons in the second half Saturday for a 75-54 win in the semifinal round of Class D state girls basketball playoffs.
Senior guard Madalyn Barrows scored 27 points for the Blackhawks, who’ll oppose Section 10 champion Hammond (St. Lawrence County) in the final scheduled for 10 a.m. tip-off Sunday at Hudson Valley Community College.
Saturday’s foe from Schenectady mustered three points through the closing five minutes of the third quarter, which concluded with Oxford ahead by 52-39, then fell behind by 18 with less than two minutes elapsed in the fourth.
By the numbers
** Oxford, 22-5 and seeking the program’s first state championship, has scored 145 points and won by a 23½-point average in two state playoff contests.
** Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons finish with a 15-8 record.
** Barrows, Basketball Coaches Association of New York’s Section 4 Class D Player of the Year - and by a bunch best player on the court Saturday - has scored 53 points in two intersectional playoff games.
How Blackhawks eased away
Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons was within 40-36 with five minutes remaining in the third quarter until Ella Kelsey stroked a three-point goal and Barrows followed with another off a heads-up exit pass from Naiome Smith to make it 46-36. The quarter finished with Oxford ahead by 52-39.
Gradually in the fourth, the Blackhawks assumed command.
Barrows scored seven points in a 100-second segment to extend the difference to 67-45. Included were a turnaround shot from near the free throw line, a penetration down the lane and three free throws.
What they were saying
Oxford coach Chris Palmer: “After the first quarter we kind of clamped down defensively. Obviously we shot it very well, but I was very nervous after the first quarter. We had allowed more points (16) than we typically do. We were able to figure out some things to slow them down a little bit and our girls just really shot lights-out. In the first half I think we were 50 percent from three.”
On Barrows’ effort: “I’ll tell you what, Madalyn was a warrior today. She was sick overnight and was coming in with virtually no energy and nothing to eat and gutted it out today. But she’s been our leader on the court non-stop. She draws a lot of attention, she gets other people involved, she’s our leading rebounder.
“To perform like that under these circumstances on the biggest stage and being under the weather a little bit, I just can’t say enough about her.”
Looking ahead to the final
Palmer: “Hammond is a tall task, they’re tough. They’ve got legitimate college-bound players on their team. We’re going to go try to figure something out, we’re going to need a little bit of luck on our side and we’re going to have to keep shooting I guess as well as we did today.”
Barrows: “I think we just need to do what we’ve done all year and I think that will be enough.”
This article originally appeared on Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin: Oxford's girls roll to NY state Class D basketball final
