Oak Hill High School

The Oak Hill Golden Eagles dropped a tough, conference battle Monday night at home, falling 39–37 to the Alexandria Tigers in a game that came down to the final possessions. Alexandria came out firing offensively in the first quarter, scoring 10 points on efficient two-point looks while Oak Hill struggled with early turnovers and readiness. Tytan Ott connected on a three-pointer and Corey Templin added a bucket inside, but the Tigers took a 10–5 lead after one. The second quarter saw Oak Hill find some offensive rhythm. Graham Arrendale exploded for nine points to spark the attack, and Cristian Pavey chipped in four inside. Alexandria matched the output, however, heating up from deep with three made threes to maintain momentum. Halftime score: 23–18 Tigers. Oak Hill needed a strong start to the second half against a conference foe, and they delivered early. Arrendale drained a three-pointer, while Ott, Templin, and Matthew Lawson each added twos to keep the pressure on. Alexandria’s offense answered every push, matching the Golden Eagles point-for-point and holding onto their five-point lead entering the fourth: 34–29. The final frame was pure fight. Down but far from out, the Golden Eagles refused to fold. Arrendale, Templin, and Lawson combined for eight crucial points, giving Oak Hill a real shot late. The team won the quarter by three, outscoring Alexandria down the stretch and creating multiple opportunities to tie or take the lead. Costly mistakes and missed chances in crunch time proved decisive, however, allowing the Tigers to escape with the narrow victory: 37-39. This wasn’t Oak Hill’s cleanest performance - turnovers early, defensive lapses, and Alexandria’s hot shooting from range made it an uphill battle. But credit to the Tigers for capitalizing and earning good looks. More importantly, the Golden Eagles never quit, stayed competitive, battled through adversity, and gave themselves a chance until the very end. Arrendale led the charge with 16pts, Templin 8pts, Ott 5pts, and Lawson and Pavey 4pts.