Gallery by Heather Belcher
Oak Hill – Offensive struggles have been a thorn in the side of the Oak Hill boys basketball team this year.
Head coach Benitez Jackson has been confident that his team would eventually break out of its scoring slump.
Friday night when the Red Devils welcomed longtime nemesis Woodrow Wilson to the Lilly Center, Jackson’s faith was rewarded.
Paced by a 23-point effort from senior Jacob Perdue, Oak Hill ran away from the Flying Eagles in the second half for a 66-43 win.
“I just thought we were more aggressive offensively. We have been really trying to get our guys to do that and get more shots at the rim,” Jackson said. “Our tempo was a lot better tonight. When you are playing with some type of rhythm, you are going to make more shots. We are better in transition and we were able to get in transition tonight.”
The visitors jumped out to a 9-3 lead before Oak Hill took control with hard work on the glass and timely 3’s from Perdue.
Following three ties and five lead changes, Perdue buried his fourth triple of the first half to give Oak Hill the lead for good.
A nice up and under score from Leonard Farrow and a pull-up jumper from Sammy Crist pushed the advantage to 23-16 before Woodrow steadied the ship.
Trailing by just five points at halftime, the Flying Eagles appeared to have weathered a crucial storm. Starting point guard Elijah Redfern had sat for nearly 11 minutes with foul trouble and Perdue had scored 17 points.
“Jacob carried us and was kind of a one-man show out there,” Jackson said. “We wanted the other guys to step up in the second half and do something to help us.”
Omar Lewis, Ethan Vargo-Thomas and Farrow answered Jackson’s challenge by routinely getting the ball in the lane for easy looks at the basket.
An offesnive rebound by Trevor Kelly turned into a layup for Lewis to start the final half. Lewis returned the favor on the next series when his penetration set Kelly up for an easy deuce down low.
Redfern stopped the bleeding for Beckley with a 3, but before the defense could get back, Farrow raced in for a layup.
Maddex McMillen’s 3-ball cut the lead to five, only to see Lewis again find Kelly for another score in the paint.
“Our guard play was a lot better tonight and that is the key to our team. We need our guards to play downhill and they played with a lot of confidence,” Jackson said. “I thought Ethan really stepped up and played the way he can. Omar played well pushing the tempo and taking care of the basketball. Leonard, who has been playing really well, set the tone for us defensively and that boosted our effort.”
The last four minutes of the third period were all Vargo-Thomas who scored 11 points over the stretch to give Oak Hill a 47-32 lead.
“That is what we have emphasized and what we really want out of those guys. We want them to get in the lane and make good decisions in the lane. I couldn’t ask for them to do any better than they did tonight,” Jackson said.
Unfortunately for the Flying Eagles, it was an opportunity lost with another dismal third quarter.
It was a scenario that assistant head coach Steve Kidd had seen before. Kidd was filling in for head coach Ron Kidd who was unavailable for the game Friday.
“That is what has been happening to us. If you think about the Logan game, the same thing happened,” Kidd said about the third quarter slide. “I don’t know if we just come out with no intensity or not warming up good. I know we aren’t playing good, but we don’t brow-beat them at halftime and get them down on themselves. I just don’t know.”
Oak Hill led by as many as 29 points in the final quarter, sending Beckley to its fifth straight loss of the season.
“We have been playing good defense all year. If we get some shots to go in the hole, we have a chance to win every game,” Jackson said.
Vargo-Thomas ended with 14 points and Farrow had 11. Redfern led Woodrow Wilson with 10 points, while McMillen added nine.
Oak Hill (5-4) hosts Riverside Saturday at 2 p.m. Prior to the game, the ceremony for nine inductees to the Collins/Oak Hill High School Red Devils Hall of Fame will take place.
Woodrow Wilson is scheduled to travel to George Washington Monday, weather permitting.
WW: 13 10 9 11 – 43
OH: 13 15 19 19 – 66
Woodrow Wilson 43
M.J. Staples 2, Maddex McMillen 9. Landon Wolfe 1, Elijah Redfern 10, Brayden Hawthorne 3, Zan Hill 2, Sam Peck 6, Isaiah Patterson 4, Mike Miller 2, Jaylon Walton 1. Totals: 13 9-21 43.
Oak Hill
Jacob Perdue 23, Omar Lewis 4, Leonard Farrow 11, Sammy Crist 5, Trey Foster 3, Malachi Lewis 14, Trevor Kelly 4. Totals 25 9-12 66.
