Oxford and S-E downed in close games

NEW BERLIN – Down three starters due to illness and injuries, the Lady Storm relied on the senior leadership of Meegan White to lead a team full of younger players. White fulfilled her role, scoring 20 in the 45-36 win over Sidney on Thursday to bring the five-game losing streak by the Storm to an end.

“I’m extremely proud of them for pulling this win out without three starters,” said UV’s head coach Brandi Whitbeck. “These girls dug down deep and played with so much heart. They were composed, scrappy and intense. They buckled down and played great team defense and it was pretty awesome for such young players to step up the way we did.”

In the first game of the regular season, the Warriors hosted Unadilla Valley and came away with the early season win by six points.

Starting the second match up between the two teams where they left off, Sidney took the 15-13 after the first quarter and built on it in the second to go into the locker room ahead by eight.

The Warriors nearly shut down the Storm’s offense, limiting the home to just three made free throws in the stanza.

Whatever it was that Whitbeck said to her team in the locker room at the intermission, stuck with her players as they found the intensity the head coach stated the girls had.