OXFORD – Coming off a victory against Afton, the Oxford Blackhawks boys’ basketball team knew they were in for one of the toughest match-ups of the season against Delhi on Wednesday. Oxford gave it their best and kept things close in a 58-42 deficit, being one of the few local teams to keep the score close.

Oxford had a good start in the first eight minutes with 17 points, but then were limited in both the second and third quarter. This hold allowed Delhi to boost themselves with a 34-25 lead at halftime. Delhi continued to remain consistent, while Oxford tried playing catch up in the final quarter. By being limited in both the second and third quarters, Oxford was unable to get closer, had they stayed even, the game may have shifted their way, but it is always a challenge against a tough Delhi team.

Oxford’s Caden Rifanburg hit two three’s to finish with a team-high 18 points while Ben Sheridan had six points. Eli Bennett and Jared Sheridan both had five points each in the loss.

Oxford (4-8) remains optimistic as they head to Unatego/Franklin on Friday at 7:15 p.m.

Scores by quarter:

DA 23 11 11 13—58

OX 17 8 5 12–42

DA: Angelo Krzyston 16, Chuck Haight 13, Rocco Schnabel 9, Seamus deMauro 9, Ivan Richards 7, Lucas Nealis 2, Tommy Nagy 2.

OX: Caden Rifanburg 18, Ben Sheridan 6, Eli Bennett 5, Jared Sheridan 5, Sam Hendricks 4, Donovan Rickard 3.

Three-pointers: DA 1 (Richards); OX 3 (Rifanburg 2, J Sheridan).