The Oxford Pirates's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Friday after their third straight loss. They were just a bucket shy of victory and fell 69-68 to Nipmuc Regional. Oxford has not had much luck with Nipmuc Regional recently, as the team's come up short the last four times they've met.
Oxford's loss came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Brady Marqoupis, who scored 29 points. Marqoupis scored a full 42.6% of Oxford's points, the fifth time in a row he's earned more than a third of the team's points. Kofi Owusu was another key contributor, scoring 16 points.
Nipmuc Regional was led to victory by James McKinney and Brayden Kelly. McKinney scored 21 points, while Kelly scored 22 points. Those 22 points set a new season-high mark for him. The team also got some help courtesy of Chase Kelly, who scored 12 points.
Oxford's loss dropped their record down to 1-4. As for Nipmuc Regional, they pushed their record up to 4-1 with that victory, which was their 11th straight at home dating back to last season.
Oxford will take on Southbridge at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The matchup should be an exciting one, as these teams are ranked near one another in Massachusetts (Southbridge is ranked 150th, while Oxford is ranked 160th). As for Nipmuc Regional, they will head out on the road to face off against Douglas at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
