Oakleaf had another impressive showing against a good Mandarin team 87-58 on Friday. They remain undefeated early in the season. The toughest part of their schedule is coming up as they face Bishop Kenny, Terry Parker, Nease and Jackson all in January.
Mandarin’s Jayla Thompson did all she could to keep her team close scoring 25 points against a tough defense. Mandarin(3-4) looks to bounce back against Baldwin (3-2) on Wednesday 12/9.
Oakleaf is led by a triple threat in sensational sophomores Taliah Scott, Fantasia James and Kaylah Turner who accounted for 64 of their 87 points against Mandarin. They don’t just score though, they play excellent defense as well. Oftentimes, their defense turns into offense as steals lead to easy lay ups.
The best part of the game for Oakleaf wasn’t their offense or defense though. It was when the starters were taken out of the game. Each time one of the subs scored, the bench erupted with cheer from the starters. As a coach, it is something you love to see.
With 79 points at the end of three quarters, the starters could have been upset with being pulled early since they had a chance to score 100 points. Instead, they yelled, screamed and jumped with excitement with every good thing their teammates did on the court. It was great to watch the chemistry of this team in action on and off the court.
