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After an overtime win the previous night, the Oak Hall girls basketball team couldn’t maintain the momentum in a 49-32 loss Tuesday to the visiting Trenton Tigers.
Starting Hot
Oak Hall (11-3) scored seven consecutive points early in the first quarter. Senior Sri Lanka Richardson added a layup followed by a free throw to lift the Eagles to a 10-4 lead.
Presley Akins sank a 3-point shot and a free throw with 10 seconds remaining for Trenton’s points in the quarter.
Turning The Tide
Trenton (19-3) surged back in the second quarter. The Tigers began playing tougher on defense to take their first lead at the halfway through the quarter at 13-12.
Trenton then went up 17-14 before Oak Hall tied the game with three free throws in just 14 seconds. In the remaining 2.5 minutes of the half, Trenton scored eight unanswered points on four layups by four different players. Thanks to two steals in the final minute of the half, Trent0n entered halftime leading the Eagles 25-17.
Pulling Away
The Eagles continued to struggle against the Trenton defense as the second half began. The Tigers added 14 points on four layups and a pair of 3-point shots, while Oak Hall only scored two free throws from Richardson to allow Trenton to take a 39-19 advantage.
With Richardson responsible for seven of eight points for the Eagles, Oak Hall began to rally. It scored six unanswered points in the final 2.5 minutes of the quarter, leaving the score 39-25 Tigers.
![The Trenton Tigers girls basketball team gathers at half court Tuesday at Oak Hall.[Curan Ahern]](https://www.wruf.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/GirlsBask-300x327.jpg)
Too Little, Too Late
Richardson’s scoring in the third quarter was much too little to faze Trenton, as it opened the final quarter with seven unanswered points to extend the lead to 46-25.
In the remaining five minutes, the Eagles scored seven more points that include two back-to-back jumpers by Leila Sims.
The Eagles made a valiant effort to cut the deficit, but it proved to be much too large, as the Tigers’ Akins stole the ball and drove down court to score a buzzer-beating layup to seal Trenton’s victory.
Up Next
Oak Hall plays at Cedar Key (5-11) at 5 p.m. Thursday. Trenton will host The Rock (3-20) at 6 p.m. Friday.
