Photo by samsphotoservices.com

Occidental's Tigers played against Redlands this last Monday in an extremely competitive game. 

Both teams came in hot with their defense forcing the opposing side to sprint down the court. For the first few minutes of the half almost no one was able to score - that was until a Redlands player was able to sneak in a layup. Shortly after however, with almost the entire Oxy starting line-up back into play, the Tigers' rejuvenated cohesion gave Aden Nolet the perfect pass in order to make a clean shot. Just 50 seconds after Nolet's basket, Tejan Lanser passed the ball to Noah Delorme. As all the Redland's players surrounded Delorme in order to prevent his shot, Delorme's agility gave him the opportunity to slide between the players and make the basket. 

As the first half continued, it became clear how intense the game was going to be as the amount of turnovers and steals increased rapidly. In order to combat Redland's consistent steals, Oxy's players adapted overhead passes over dribbling. Not only did this tactic help defend Oxy, but it also allowed them to throw the ball farther down the court and give their teammates time to shoot without the defense surrounding them. This, along with the improved ability to pass the ball where the players were going to be rather than where the players were, aided highly in Oxy's offensive tactics during the game. 

Another surprising skill the Tiger's pulled out during this game was the player's improved hops. Tejan Lanser was able to demonstrate this in action as he jumped a solid few feet into the air to grab a rebound at 6:41. Soon after, passing the ball to Hollerich, Oxy was able to score another layup despites Redland's push - a true showcasing of Hollerich's ability to play under pressure. 

Not to go unmentioned, Williams was able to exhibit his improving three-point shooting skills as he scored at 14:16 on the clock and again at 9:13, making the crowd go wild. 

Overall, the team had some insane efforts in order to keep up with Redlands and their grind did not stop until the clock ran out. Great job to the Tigers for putting up a fight. 

Next game: Oxy will be having an away game against Chapman University on Wednesday, February 9th at 7:00pm.