WEST POINT — When Oak Hill Academy girls basketball faced off against Hebron Christian on Nov. 27, junior Ceirston Tarwacki led the Raiders with a game-high 17 points.
Something must be in the water whenever Tarwacki takes on the Eagles because on Tuesday night, she led the charge with 15 points in a 63-38 victory, Oak Hill’s eighth-straight overall.
“I have a really good team to work with,” Tarwacki said. “It really helps to have everyone supporting me on-and-off the bench. … The way that their team plays, it’s different compared to ours. It’s easier to see open spots and where to go in the game.”
After a close 54-48 season-opening loss against Starkville Academy, the Raiders have run the table in non-district play so far, set to enter district play with significant momentum.
That was punctuated on Tuesday by Oak Hill’s fourth 16-plus-point victory in their last five games.
“We’ve been building off of each game going forward, getting better and better,” head coach Nora Smith said.
Once again, Oak Hill was able to empty its bench and get meaningful minutes to bench players who usually don’t get much playing time.
The Raider spread the ball – and the scoring – around, with nine different players getting on the score sheet, including two double-digit scorers in Tarwacki and Harley Vaughn, who finished with 13 points.
Despite a second blowout loss against the Raiders over the past two weeks, Hebron (2-7) showed fight against a larger classification school, challenging Oak Hill from beyond the arc and in the paint.
“Even though we’re younger, there’s a lot of fire in these girls,” Eagles head coach Todd Stanton said. “… They get in there and fight. More than anything, not quitting is what helps them at least hang around.”
The Eagles are set to start district play soon and should be plenty prepared with the non-district competition they have taken on thus far.
As for Oak Hill, this team has responded well in Smith’s first season in charge. Team chemistry has been fantastic in the early going, showcased early with an impressive 23-8 start in the game and a lead that stretched to as much as 31.
Players were pulling for each other, passes were connecting and baskets were plentiful, all great signs going into another tough year of district play.
“It’s getting us ready for our district,” Smith said. “I don’t know much about our district since I’m new here, but I’ve always heard it’s a tough district. Playing these tougher teams in the beginning has helped us and we’ll be ready for district.”
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