1) Greene’s Payton Yahner and Oxford’s Ella Kelsey match up against one another. Both were dominant on offense, but it was Greene who pushed past Oxford late in the fourth quarter. (Photo by Morgan Golliver) 2)Greene celebrates the 57-48 victory vs Oxford to stay undefeated. (Photo by Morgan Golliver)

GREENE – It was one of the most anticipated match-ups of the season as the Greene Trojans took on the Oxford Blackhawks. Both teams were supposed to meet back in December when each team was still undefeated, but had to hold off until now.

Greene and Oxford played neck and neck throughout the entirety of the contest, but it was Greene who fired up in the fourth quarter to take the 57-48 victory.

Oxford held the lead for two out of four quarters with the game tied at 21 at halftime. Both teams knew the final 16 minutes were crucial and with the fans riled up, anything could happen.

Greene was down by one after the third quarter, but that didn’t discourage them from going all out with their undefeated season on the line. They scored 21 points to Oxford’s 11 to seal the victory.

Oxford had taken a brief lead to cap off the day with 48 points, but Greene was consistent on the foul line, making five out of six free-throws in the final minute of the game. Oxford’s two leading scorers, Madalyn Barrows and Ella Kelsey missed important three-point shots in attempt to re-tie the game.

Madalyn had 22 points while Kelsey finished behind her with 21 points in the loss. Kelsey dominated in the first and third quarter, but Greene’s defense held her to a point in the final eight minutes.

Payton Yahner led all scorers with a stellar 27 points, including three three-point shots. Cassie Butler finished with 13 points in the win.

UP NEXT:

Greene (11-0) will be at Walton on Wednesday at 7 p.m.

Oxford (10-3) will host Unatego on Friday at 7 p.m.

The rematch between Greene and Oxford will take place on January 26 in Oxford at 7 p.m.

Scores by Quarter:

OX 13 8 16 11—48

GR 11 10 15 21—57

OX: Madalyn Barrows 22, Ella Kelsey 21, Kyla Kelsey-Jones 2, Ava Benjamin 2, Naiomi Smith 1.

GR: Payton Yahner 27, Cassie Butler 13, Abby Yahner 7, Claire Flanagan 3, Emma Rice 3, Cali Knapp 2, Lyla Biefeldt 2.

Three-Pointers: OX 6 (Barrows 4, Kelsey 2); GR 5 (P Yahner 3, Butler, Flanagan)