On Thursday, Rhode Island School for the Deaf came up short against Oxford and fell 52-41. The loss was a bit of a surprise, as Rhode Island School for the Deaf came into the matchup with a sizable advantage in MaxPreps's basketball rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked 28th in Rhode Island, while Oxford is ranked 168th in Connecticut).
Despite the defeat, Rhode Island School for the Deaf saw an underclassman step up: Howard Valentin scored 29 points along with eight steals and six rebounds. That was a full 70.7% of Rhode Island School for the Deaf's points, marking the tenth time in a row he's earned more than a third of the team's points. Correy Oliveira was another key contributor, scoring nine points along with nine rebounds and two steals.
Rhode Island School for the Deaf's defeat dropped their record down to 6-5. As for Oxford, their win ended a three-game drought on the road and puts them at 2-10.
Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Rhode Island School for the Deaf won't have much time to rest: their next match is against Non Varsity Opponent at 5:00 p.m. on January 26th. Non Varsity Opponent is on a six-game streak of home wins, Rhode Island School for the Deaf a three-game streak of away wins -- so someone will have to leave a streak behind on the court. As for Oxford, they won't have much time to rest: their next game is against Torrington at 7:00 p.m. on January 26th. Torrington is strutting with some offensive muscle, as they've averaged 66 points per game.
