Sage Hill girls’ basketball loses first-place showdown at Oxford Academy

The pressure always seems to get ramped up in league games, and especially those sporting a battle of unbeaten teams.

It was visible that such pressure did get to the Sage Hill School girls’ basketball team.

Facing the new top-ranked team in the CIF Southern Section Division 3A poll in Oxford Academy, the Lightning lacked the crisp execution necessary to defeat an upper-echelon opponent.

Hardly in need of help, Oxford Academy forced visiting Sage Hill into 25 turnovers. The Patriots went on to easily defeat the Lightning 68-36 on Tuesday night in an Academy League game.

“They’re No. 1 in their division for a reason,” Lightning coach Kerwin Walters said. “You just can’t turn over the ball like we did. You just can’t do that against really quality teams.”

By the end of the first quarter, Sage Hill (12-7, 5-1 in league), ranked No. 10 in Division 4AA, had committed 11 turnovers to just three for Oxford Academy (18-1, 5-0). The Patriots had failed to convert on most of them, leaving the Lightning in the game with just a 12-9 deficit.

That would change in the second quarter. A steal and layup by freshman point guard Angie Choi completed a 14-0 run for the Patriots, opening their lead to 23-9 with 3:33 left in the first half.

Choi did not let up in the second half. She hit a pair of three-pointers on back-to-back possessions to extend Oxford Academy’s lead to 45-22 with 3:01 remaining in the third quarter.

“It really helps,” Oxford Academy senior guard Sophia Chan said of Choi starting as a freshman. “We have a true point guard in her position, so now none of us are out of position.

“It really helps because she can see the floor, and she can find shooters.”

Chan had 13 points, three steals and three rebounds, adding a pair of conversions from beyond the arc herself.

Coming into the game, the matchup to watch was in the paint. Patriots junior center Austyn Masuno, who was the Academy League MVP as a freshman, took on Sage Hill freshman phenom Emily Elliott.

Masuno produced as a veteran should. She had 25 points, eight rebounds, four steals and three blocked shots.

Elliott continued to stand out for Sage Hill, but she looked rushed on offense. Her league double-double streak ended at five. She finished the night with nine points, six rebounds, five blocks and four steals.

Sage Hill junior forward Nadia Akbari had eight points with seven rebounds. Sophomore guard Joyce Jogwe and senior guard Kate Knollenberg each added five points.

Overall, Oxford Academy was the complete team, equipped with the inside and outside game, as well as the desire to win the hustle game.

Brianna Rodriguez exemplified the latter quality. She scored just five points, but her mark was felt elsewhere. The sophomore forward had seven rebounds, seven steals and six assists.

“This was a big game for us,” Rodriguez said. “Our coach [David Clifton] kept telling us, ‘This is our chance to prove who we are as a player.’

“I just wanted to step out of my comfort zone and try my best to dominate the game.”

The size of the loss did not matter. Sage Hill fell just one game off the pace in league.

“We get to play them again at our place, and we’ll make corrections,” said Walters, whose team hosts Oxford Academy to end the regular season on Feb. 6. “Hopefully, the outcome is different. You have to come to play against good teams like this. It’s what you want. You want to play against the best.

“They did their part. Now, we’ve got to do our part.”

*

Oxford Academy 68, Sage Hill 36

SCORE BY QUARTERS

Sage Hill 9 – 7 – 13 – 7 — 36

Oxford Academy 12 – 16 – 26 – 14 — 68

SH – Elliott 9, Akbari 8, Ka. Knollenberg 5, Jogwe 5, Shayan-Smith 4, Ke. Knollenberg 3, Cha 2.

3-pt. goals – Ka. Knollenberg 1, Ke. Knollenberg 1.

Fouled out – Ke. Knollenberg.

Technicals – None.

OA – Masuno 25, Choi 14, Chan 13, Gagnon 5, Rodriguez 5, Madrazo 3, Bayarmunkh 2, Roberts 1.

3-pt. goals – Chan 2, Choi 2, Gagnon 1, Madrazo 1.

Fouled out – None.

Technicals – None.

andrew.turner@latimes.com

Twitter: @ProfessorTurner