The Oakland-Craig Boys have struggled as of late, losing 68-54 at Wisner-Pilger Thursday night, 65-62 at Madison on Saturday, and 75-49 at home to Guardian Angels Central Catholic Tuesday night.
The Gators led the Knights 19-15 after one. Oakland-Craig won the second quarter 19-18 to make it a 37-34 game at halftime.
Wisner-Pilger outscored the Knights 31-20 in the second half.
Carter Thiele led the way with 23 points. Cole Mitchell added 10 points and 8 rebounds while Cody Mace and Garrett Seagren totaled 10 and 8 points, respectively.
The Dragons led Oakland-Craig 22-13 at the end of one. The Knights outscored Madison 23-11 in the second quarter to take a 36-33 lead into the locker room.
Oakland-Craig won the third quarter 15-13 to lead 51-46 at the end of three.
The Dragons notched 19 fourth quarter points compared to 11 for the Knights.
Seagren finished with 29 points and 12 rebounds, good enough for a double-double. Thiele notched 18 points while Mitchell had 9 points and 7 rebounds. Mace registered 8 rebounds.
The Bluejays led 23-13 at the end of one against Oakland-Craig. GACC outscored the Knights 26-5 in the second quarter to take a 49-18 lead into the locker room.
Oakland-Craig won the third quarter 18-16 to make it a 65-36 game at the end of three.
The Knights notched 13 fourth quarter points compared to 10 for the Bluejays.
Thiele had a team-high 17 points. Mace recorded 10 while Seagren notched 8.
Oakland-Craig hasn't played bad offensively, it's just their defense that has really let them down.
The Knights (3-5) take on Wilber-Clatonia (6-1) in the Malcolm Holiday Tournament Tuesday afternoon.
The Wolverines beat Thayer Central 64-36 on the road this past Tuesday night.
Wilber-Clatonia is a very good team that can score the ball.
With that said, I feel like Oakland-Craig is one of the best teams the Wolverines will have faced all year long.
Wilber-Clatonia is good, but the Knights are a quality team too, and have to believe in themselves.
It all starts on the defensive end for Oakland-Craig, and the Knights have to slow down the Wolverines' offense to give themselves a chance, in my opinion.
Oakland-Craig has struggled defensively their last few games, but I think this Holiday Tournament is a chance for the Knights to get back on track.
Oakland-Craig is playing fairly far away from home, and so the pressure and rigors of the regular season in Northeast Nebraska shouldn't be there.
The Knights should be relaxed and easy going, and ready to play their game.
It's important for this team to have a positive attitude and be loose given their recent struggles. Perhaps there's some team bonding things this team can do before Tuesday's game.
Win or lose, I look for Oakland-Craig to go into Malcolm and show everyone what Northeast Nebraska Basketball is all about.
The Knights and Wolverines are scheduled to go at it at 4:45 p.m.
The Oakland-Craig Girls went 2-0 last week, defeating Wisner-Pilger 52-47 on the road Thursday night and Madison 65-25 on the road Saturday.
The Gators led the Knights 15-8 after one. Wisner-Pilger won the second quarter 14-8 to go up 29-16 at halftime.
Oakland-Craig outscored the Gators 15-6 in the third quarter to make it a 35-31 game at the end of three.
The Knights notched 21 fourth quarter points compared to 12 for Wisner-Pilger.
Brynn Charling finished with 22 points and 9 rebounds. Dacey Nelson added 15 points while Emma Reinert notched 8.
Oakland-Craig quadrupled up the Dragons 16-4 in the first quarter. The Knights doubled up Madison 18-9 in the second quarter to take a 34-13 lead into the locker room.
Oakland-Craig tripled up the Dragons 12-4 in the third quarter to lead 46-17 at the end of three.
The Knights outscored Madison 19-8 in the fourth quarter.
Nelson had a game-high 15 points. Shannon Pile added 12 while Reinert and Charling scored 11 and 10, respectively. Olivia Bures chipped in 8.
Oakland-Craig did a great job coming back from the dead against Wisner-Pilger. I would say the Knights' second half effort in that game carried over to the Madison game.
Oakland-Craig (6-1) squares off with Wilber-Clatonia (1-6) on Tuesday in the Malcolm Holiday Tournament.
The Wolverines picked up their first win of the season at Thayer Central, winning 56-31.
Despite that, the Knights should win this game fairly easily.
Oakland-Craig has played great basketball to start the season, and I look for the Knights to have a great showing in this Holiday Tournament.
The championship game will likely be Malcolm and Oakland-Craig, and what a matchup that would be.
The Knights have to go into this tournament and play their game and not let anything phase them.
Oakland-Craig is one of the best teams in the Northeast Nebraska area, regardless of class, and has to go down to Malcolm and have a good showing.
I look for the Knights to play well and make Northeast Nebraska and the communities of Oakland and Craig proud.
It would be a big deal for the Knights to win this Holiday Tournament, and although it's going to be difficult, Oakland-Craig has a chance to get the job done I think.
The Knights have to be aggressive on offense and defense, pressuring the ball, and attacking the basket at every opportunity.
Tuesday's game is scheduled to start at 3:00 p.m.
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