HARPURSVILLE – After getting through some tough games, the Oxford Blackhawks boys’ basketball team settled in on a smooth 62-49 victory against Harpursville on Monday. Oxford took control in the second and third quarters to secure the victory.

Both teams showed their strengths in the first quarter, but Harpursville slowed down before halftime. Oxford got a boost from Jared Sheridan in the second quarter as he dropped all 11 points in those eight minutes alone. The Blackhawks scored 22 points to take a 38-26 halftime lead. The confidence only continued in the third quarter as Donovan Rickard scored 10 of his total 23 points after the break. From there, Oxford had the game in their possession and kept up in the final eight minutes to remain on top, showing improvement with one regular season game left.

Donovan Rickard led the Blackhawks with 23 points as Caden Rifanburg stayed strong with 19 points. Jared Sheridan added 11 points while Ben Sheridan had five points and Sam Hendricks and Eli Bennett both had two points in the win.

Oxford (6-10) takes on Otselic Valley in a rematch from the season opener, where Oxford won in the last 15 seconds 44-43. This time, Oxford hosts the Vikings on Wednesday at 6 p.m.

Scores by quarter:

OX 16 22 15 9–62

HA 18 8 11 12–49

OX: Donovan Rickard 23, Caden Rifanburg 19, Jared Sheridan 11, Ben Sheridan 5, Eli Bennett 2, Sam Hendricks 2.

HA: Jayden Deleon 20, Hunter Smith 13, Liam Quick 4, Brayden Sakowsky 4, Maxamus Allen 3, Davin Warren 3, Jacob Rueffer 2.

Three-pointers: OX 4 (Rickard, Rifanburg, J Sheridan, B Sheridan); HA 6 (Deleon 5, Warren)