Basketball Recap: Ella Risley's Big Game Can't Quite Lead Caldwell over Oxford

Caldwell was not able to break out of their rough patch on Thursday as the team picked up their fifth straight defeat. They came up short against the Oxford Wildcats, falling 49-24. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest loss the Bluejays have suffered against the Wildcats since January 22, 2021.

Caldwell lost despite a true team effort on offense. The best among them was Ella Risley, who posted 12 points. That was a full 50% of Caldwell's points, marking the seventh time in a row Risley has earned more than a third of the team's points.

Yasmin Gardea was nothing short of spectacular for Oxford: she went 10-for-22 to rack up 25 points in addition to six rebounds and six steals. Oxford is 3-1 when Gardea posts 20 or more points, but 4-12 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Makhila Maupin, who dropped a double-double with ten points and 11 boards.

Caldwell's defeat dropped their record down to 3-16. As for Oxford, their record now sits at 7-13.

Caldwell has already played their next game (against Sedan), but no score has been uploaded at the time of writing. As for Oxford, they wasted no time getting back out on the court and have already played their next matchup, a 36-30 loss against Central on the 21st.