LAURENS – Strong first and third quarter offensive runs pushed the Oxford Lady Blackhawks to their second straight win Tuesday, defeating non-league opponent Laurens, 52-48.

The Blackhawks jumped out to an early 19-14 lead after one quarter of play. However, Laurens rallied to keep the margin at five points at the intermission.

Out of the break, the Lady Leopards continued to push and eventually tied the game at 29-29 in the third.

Later in the quarter, Oxford’s Allison Beckwith found an open Ellie Ryan who then drained a 3-pointer to start a run by the Blackhawks. During the stretch, teammate Jada Albin hit a shot from beyond the arc to extend the Oxford lead to 10 points.

Laurens didn’t go down without a fight through. Late in the fourth, the home team closed the Blackhawks’ advantage down to two points but were unable to take the lead due to Oxford’s foul shooting in the closing minutes.

Ryan went to the line twice and went 2-for-4 to seal the deal. She finished with a game-high 16 points. Teammate Caitlyn Quigley also had a big night, tallying 13 points and six rebounds. Oxford’s Karley Miller added nine and Madalyn Barrows pulled down a team-high seven boards to go along with her seven points.

Oxford (2-1) hopes to make it three in a row when they step on the floor Saturday against Marathon. Tip-off is slated for 2:30 p.m.

Sherburne-Earlville 46, Mount Markham 35