On Saturday, Jan 13, the Oakies girls basketball team took Second Place in the Lady Oakies Invitational, capping off a rigorous and unpredictable tournament week.

After snow days across the metro caused the tournament to be delayed several days, the Oakies finally took on Raytown in their tournament opener on Thursday, Jan. 11. This game was worth the three-day wait in a dominating 69-25 win, setting a tone for the rest of the week.

Snow day problems struck again on Friday when several teams were unable to make it to their games, rearranging the bracket as well as game times and causing teams to be unprepared with who they were to take on that day. OP was originally supposed to play Blue Springs HS but after the weather prevented them from attending, a game time change took place and they took on Raytown South HS instead.

“Not having preparation really kind of contributed to a little bit of the worrisome nature of our team, but I think that also helped propel us to get a win because we tend to fight better when we’re facing adversity,” assistant coach Kendon McClaine said.

And propel the team to a win it did. The Oakies beat Raytown South in a thriller 73-70. This sent OP the finals to be played Saturday morning against a solid Smithville squad.

Oak Park started off hot in the first quarter leading the Warriors 16-7. But a good shooting, Smithville team was able to come back for their ultimate win in the championship beating the Oakies with a score of 52-44.

This marks the first time in a long time the girls placed in the tournament and shows again how much this team has improved and looks to make an impact this season.