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The Comets more than held their own in the first half on Wednesday against unbeaten and state-ranked Bismarck-Henning in a semifinal game of the St. Joseph-Ogden Class 2A boys’ basketball regional tournament.

Oakwood held the lead at halftime 28-25 before falling 62-52.

Josh Young led the Comets with 14 points. Jayden Cox added 10 points. Jackson Powell scored nine points and teammates Elijah Harden and Dalton Hobick finished with seven points apiece.

B-H/R-A (31-0) used a 22-14 third-quarter spurt to take a five-point lead into the final period.

Oakwood hit 7 of 8 free throws.

On Monday, for the third time in four games this season, the Comets topped Vermilion County rival Georgetown-Ridge Farm on the basketball court.

Oakwood prevailed 59-50 in a first-round game of the SJ-O regional.

Young hit a team-high 13 points and was one of four squad members to score in double figures. Cox and Harden each tallied 11 points. Brevin Wells finished with 10 points.

Young was the team’s top scorer in 11 of the final 14 games this season.

G-RF led 14-12 after one quarter, but Oakwood had regained the lead, 30-26, at halftime.

The Comets hit 20 of 29 free throws. G-RF made 7 of 16 free throw attempts.

Oakwood ends with a 17-15 season record.

Young was the team’s top scorer this season in 15 games. Wells set the pace in 13 games. Isiah Ruch led in five games, Powell in three with Kade Anderson and Harden leading in one apiece.

Wells knocked down 71 three-point shots this season, accounting for two-thirds of his 107 field goals. Powell drained 41 three-pointers and Cox netted 24.

Oakwood’s top single-game point totals were 24 by Wells, 23 by Harden and 23 by Young.

The post Oakwood boys’ basketball season ends in loss to state-ranked Bismarck-Henning first appeared on SJO Daily.

The Comets remained unbeaten in overtime games this season, using the four extra minutes on Friday to win at Salt Fork, 66-62.

Oakwood is 3-0 for the season in overtime games.

Isiah Ruch and Josh Young each netted four points in OT as the Comets outscored the Storm, 10-6. Salt Fork’s points in OT were on two three-point baskets.

Young finished with a game-high 21 points. Ruch totaled 14 points. Jackson Powell nailed three three-point shots and added 12 points.

Oakwood (13-13) returns to action on Tuesday at home against Chrisman.

The post Comets pull off overtime win against Salt Fork first appeared on SJO Daily.

The Comets couldn’t hang onto a lead they held after each of the first three quarters on Tuesday and suffered a 57-53 Vermilion Valley Conference loss at Hoopeston Area.

Josh Young led Oakwood with 20 points. Jayden Cox hit 10 points and teammates Elijah Harden and Isiah Ruch both totaled eight points.

Oakwood led 18-11 after one period, 26-25 at halftime and 37-34 after three quarters.

Young had 10 of his points in the fourth quarter.

The Comets attempted just four free throws overall and they all came in the final stanza.

Oakwood (12-13) returns to action on Friday at Salt Fork.

The post Comets fall short to Hoopeston Area first appeared on SJO Daily.

Five players sunk three-point shots on Tuesday as the Comets went on the road and dispatched Armstrong-Potomac 74-63 in a Vermilion Valley Conference game.

Josh Young fired in a game-high 21 points. Brevin Wells scored 13 points and Isiah Ruch totaled 11 points.

Oakwood rolled up 41 first-half points and held an eight-point lead at intermission.

Wells nailed three of the team’s eight three-point baskets. Jackson Powell had two three-pointers. Young, Jayden Cox and Kade Anderson each hit one three-pointer.

The Comets (12-11) are 5-1 against Vermilion Valley Conference foes and return to action on Friday at home against Milford.

The post Balanced 3-point game puts Oakwood over Armstrong-Potomac first appeared on SJO Daily.

Unbeaten Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin dealt the Comets a 65-39 loss on Friday in the Oakwood gymnasium.

Isaiah Ruch scored a team-high 16 points for the Comets, including 12 of the team’s 16 first-half points.

Teammate Josh Young finished with 12 points.

The visiting Blue Devils roared into a 38-16 halftime lead.

Oakwood (8-9) returns to action on Tuesday at home against Salt Fork.

The post Comets’ boys’ basketball falls to Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin first appeared on SJO Daily.

The Comets needed three overtimes on Tuesday to secure a 73-65 victory at Georgetown-Ridge Farm.

Josh Young hit a season-high 23 points and became the second Comet this season with a 20-point game. Young tallied 14 of his points in the overtime periods and was 6-for-6 from the free throw line after the end of regulation.

Overall, Oakwood nailed 16 of 20 free throws.

G-RF carried a 41-36 lead into the fourth period.

Brevin Wells netted 15 points with all five of his baskets coming from three-point range. For the season, Wells has made a team-best 44 three-pointers.

Jackson Powell and Isiah Ruch were also steady scorers with 12 points apiece against the Buffaloes. Kade Anderson contributed eight points.

Oakwood is 8-8 overall and 3-0 in Vermilion Valley Conference games entering Friday’s home game against Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin.

The post Comets top Georgetown-Ridge Farm in three overtimes first appeared on SJO Daily.

The Comets matched their season’s high for points scored on Friday, but lost a 78-66 decision at home to Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond.

Brevin Wells scored a team-high 16 points and raised his team-high three-point total to 25 by sinking two shots from beyond the arc.

Kade Anderson scored 14 points. Isiah Ruch and Jackson Powell each chipped in with 12 points.

A-L/A-H expanded a 15-13 lead after one quarter into a 35-24 margin at halftime. The visitors nailed nine three-point shots.

The Comets (4-4) return to action on Tuesday at home, facing St.  Thomas More.

The post Oakwood boys’ basketball falls to Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond first appeared on SJO Daily.

The Oakwood Comets girls’ basketball team won all four games in last week’s Comet Classic to capture team honors in the eight-school event.

After knocking off Blue Ridge in the opener, 49-15, Oakwood followed up with a 49-21 triumph over Urbana University High and a 60-29 conquest of Rantoul that sent coach Stephanie Marsh’s team into Friday’s title game.

Katelyn Young scored 32 points against Uni and 34 against Rantoul. Addie Wright hit seven points in each of those games. Aaliyah Denius totaled nine points against the Eagles.

Against Uni, which has a 5-2 season record, Young netted 12 first-quarter points as the Comets jumped into a 16-6 lead. Uni managed just three second-half field goals.

Young followed up with 19 points in the first half versus Rantoul (1-5). She swished 10 points and Denius added six during a 23-9 third-quarter spurt. The Eagles connected on just five second-half baskets.

In the championship game, Oakwood (5-1 overall) edged Tri-County (4-1 overall), 60-59. The Comets led 15-9 after one quarter, but had to withstand a fourth quarter where the Titans sank 7-of-8 free throws and made three three-pointers.

Young scored seven of her team-high 23 points in the fourth stanza to keep the Comets in control.

Wright (16 points) and Ashlynn Pinnick (12 points) both reached their season’s high for scoring. Wright hit what proved to be the decisive basket in the final half-minute. Her shot gave the team a three-point lead.

After making 4-of-10 free throws in the first three quarters, the Comets drained 7-of-11 in the fourth quarter.

Oakwood returns to action tonight at home against Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond. It is the first of eight games for the team in an 18-day period. Six of those games will be played at home.

Young is averaging 26.1 points per game through six games.

Oakwood Boys’ basketball

Thanks to the perimeter prowess of Brevin Wells, Oakwood won the team title in the Tri-County Turkey Tournament.

Oakwood (4-2 overall) and Judah Christian completed the tournament with 4-1 records. By virtue of a 54-43 win against Judah, the Comets emerged as the team titlists.

In his last three tourney games, Wells drained 16 of his 18 field goals from three-point range, scoring 54 points in that span.

Oakwood started the week with a 50-38 win over the Paris junior varsity team, a game where it fell behind 14-6 in the first quarter before recovering and carrying a 23-16 lead into the locker room at halftime.

Josh Young, Isiah Ruch and Kade Anderson all scored 12 points.

On Tuesday, the Comets lost a non-tournament game to Watseka, 50-40.  Ruch led the way with 12 points. Jackson Powell had 10 points and Young netted nine.

Wells’ 12 points were tops for the Comets in a 66-35 win over Martinsville. Young added 10 points and Ruch collected nine.

Martinsville managed just four second-half baskets.

A 29-24 halftime lead ballooned to 51-30 entering the fourth quarter. Wells had seven points and Young six in the third quarter.

Against Judah, Oakwood trailed 8-2 after one period and 21-14 at halftime.

Wells and Powell each made seven third-quarter points and the Comets surged ahead, 38-35.

Judah managed just seven second-half field goals.

Wells and Powell each ended with 12 points.

In a 70-65 loss to Tri-County, Wells converted eight three-point shots en route to a 24-point effort.

Powell had 13 points and Ruch totaled 12.

Oakwood completed tournament play with a 64-55 win over Hutsonville/Palestine.

Wells tallied 18 points, Young had 17 and Elijah Harden chipped in with 10.

The Comets made 16 of 21 free throws. After the first quarter, Oakwood’s lead was 25-7.

Oakwood

Wrestling

Five Comet grapplers were recognized by The Illinois Best Weekly in the publication’s preseason Class 1A state rankings.

Junior Gage Reed was rated third at 113 pounds and senior Caide Borden was ranked fifth at 220 pounds. Reed was 35-10 last year and Borden was 26-9 a year ago.

Three teammates achieved honorable mention status: sophomore Joe Lashuay (132 pounds), junior Connor Hutson (138 pounds) and senior Caleb Lashuay (152 pounds).

Oakwood will open its season on Saturday at the Cumberland Duals.

The post Oakwood Girls’ Basketball wins Oakwood Comet Classic, boys win Tri-County Turkey Tournament first appeared on SJO Daily.