Oakland girls basketball feeding off outside shooting, improved defense

Oakland's girls basketball team has gone through a lot of changes since this time last season.

But, as the Lady Patriots' 14-5 record (4-2 in 7-AAA) indicates, they have endured the changes and are in the thick of the district race.

Hitting 13 3-pointers in a game, as they did Friday night in a 75-27 win over Siegel, doesn't hurt.

"Our passing has improved a lot," said Oakland senior Sloan Mann, whose four 3-pointers and 16 points led Oakland in Friday's win. She was also honored following the game with a ball commemorating 1,600-plus points in her career. 

"We have a lot of good shooters. When one player is shooting well, it seems like everyone does."

This time last season Oakland was approaching 20 wins, had two solid post players and a bevy of guards to balance the offense.

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Since then the team has suffered a TSSAA sanction for playing an ineligible player (forfeiting most of their 2016-17 wins), both post players have transferred and one of the standout guards also moved away.

That is on top of the normal graduation that takes it toll on a team.

"We've come a long way," Oakland coach Jennifer Grandstaff said. "This is a lot different team. We've adjusted well and embraced (changes)."

Mann and fellow senior Maggie Knowles (who recently surpassed 1,000 points for her career) are two constants in a team that has undergone a major face lift since last year.

"We lost a lot of good athletes," said Knowles, who had 11 points in Friday's win. "We've worked on getting the ball and driving to the basket. It's been a big transition for us."

But shooting is still the forte of the guard-heavy Lady Patriots. On nights like Friday, it's hard to beat Oakland. It can also go the other way.

"When we shoot the ball well we have a real good shot at being competitive," Grandstaff said. "We shoot a lot of 3s. We stress every day to make the extra pass and not just take the first shot."

The team is working on refining other aspects of their game to not be so reliant on a hot night from the perimeter.

"Mostly it's defense and rebounding," Mann said. "We have struggled some rebounding, but we're gradually getting better. If we don't have a good game offensively, we can still play good defense and rebound."

Claira McGowen and Gabby Henderson added 10 points for Oakland in the win. Leah Hennings led Siegel with 10.

Oakland boys get comeback win: Oakland's boys (13-6 5-1) overcame an eight-point first-half deficit and had a big fourth quarter in a 66-57 win over Siegel (12-8, 2-3).

Timmy Goodrich scored 20 points for Oakland while Keishawn Davidson scored 12 of his 14 in the fourth quarter. James Franklin Jr. led Siegel with 15 points.

Reach Cecil Joyce at cjoyce@dnj.com or 615-278-5168 and on Twitter @Cecil_Joyce.