Richmond, IN – On November 4, the Lady Oaks basketball squad traveled to Indiana University East for the First Bank Richmond Tournament, a two-day tournament with four teams. The participants were Oakland City, IU East, Concordia University and #11 ranked Indiana Wesleyan University.
The first opponent for the Lady Oaks was Indiana Wesleyan University. A very tough opponent to start the tournament. Oakland City started off very strong, taking the lead in the first period with a score of 17-16. After this the Wildcats of Indiana Wesleyan had a strong second quarter in which they took a commanding lead. The score was 24-38 by halftime. In the last two quarters Oakland City wasn't able to get close to Indiana Wesleyan. The final score of the game was 49-75.
Taylor Dillard and
Emilee Hope led the team in points, both with eleven. Hope was able to score three three-pointers in the game, leading the Oaks. Dillard was very strong from the free-throw line, scoring six out of six attempts.
In game two of the tournament, Oakland City faced IU East. A high scoring first quarter set the tone for the rest of the game. The Lady Oaks were leading 30-26 after the first quarter, this lead grew in the second period. 47-37 was the score by halftime. In the third period, the Lady Oaks had another strong quarter, scoring 25 points.
The last quarter was the first one in which the OCU defense let up more points than the offense was able to score. IU East was able to get back in the game a little bit, but ran out of time. Oakland City secured the victory by a score of 94-82. Hope again led the team in points, this time with nineteen, thanks to five successful three-point shots.
Oakland City ended the tournament going 1-1, just like Concordia University. IU East lost both of their games, while Indiana Wesleyan went 2-0 and took home the tournament win. After this weekend, the Lady Oaks' record is now 3-1 on the year.
Next up on the schedule is an exhibition game in Evansville versus the University of Southern Indiana on Monday, November 7. The next home game is on Friday, November 11 at 6:00 PM, when Bethel University travels to Oakland City.
