It was a good run, but the Norton Bluejays unfortunately witnessed the end of their three-game winning streak on Monday. They fell to Oakley 49-43. The loss was a bit of a surprise, as Norton came into the game with a sizable advantage in MaxPreps' Kansas basketball rankings (they are ranked 41st, while Oakley is ranked 136th).
Despite the loss, Norton had strong showings from Hallie Brooks, who scored 13 points along with seven rebounds and six steals, and Jenessa Ruder, who scored 15 points along with two steals. Brooks hasn't dropped below two steals for four straight games.
Norton struggled to work together and finished the game with only four assists. They were crushed by their opponents in that department as Oakley racked up 13 assists.
Oakley's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Emma Mandeville led the charge by scoring 11 points along with three steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Justice Booker, who scored 13 points along with eight rebounds and two steals.
Norton's defeat ended a three-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 11-4. As for Oakley, they pushed their record up to 10-8 with that win, which was their fourth straight on the road.
Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Norton won't have much time to rest: their next matchup is against Decatur Community at 6:00 p.m. on February 6th. Hopefully Norton focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 22 on Monday. As for Oakley, they will look to defend their home court on Friday against Ellis at 6:00 p.m. Hopefully Oakley focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 17 on Monday.
