Oracle ladies are invitational runners-up
By Todd Swank Contributing sportswriter

Delphi's girls lost to Cass (48-39) as a tuneup for the White County Invitational tournament. They advanced to the championship game with a 36-29 victory over Frontier before losing to Tri-County 33-8.

Against Cass, the Oracles held a brief lead at 3-2 on an Amanda Schultz three, but Cass came right back with a basket and didn't look back. The Lady Kings of Cass went ahead 9-3 near the end of the first period before Whitney Arion and Emily Kayser each hit long shots to bring Delphi within three at 12-9 at the end of one.

The second period could have been named the Kayla Yates story. She was the only Oracle to score, getting six points on three baskets. The halftime score was 26-15.

The Kings came out of the locker room and took less than thirty seconds to hit a three to set the tone for the second half. Kristina Barnard scored seven points in the third for the Oracles to keep the Kings within sight. At the end of three the Kings led 41-27. Delphi continued to play hard in the final period with Arion scoring eight and Barnard getting four. The final score of 48-39 gave the Kings an 8-2 record. The Oracle loss put them at 3-7. The JV score was Cass 20, Delphi 13.

White County Tourney

The tournament was played at North White High School and in the first game of the night Delphi took on a Frontier Falcon team that had beaten the Oracles nine days earlier. This game turned out to be just as competitive and exciting as the last one.

Four players scored two points each for the Oracles to give them a 8-6 lead at the end of one period. A three point shot gave the Falcons a 9-8 lead to open the second quarter. Arion hit a three of her own followed by baskets by Amanda Schultz and Hannah Strasser. After 16 minutes of play neither team had an advantage. The halftime score was tied at 15 all.

The Oracles had a chance in the third to put some distance between the teams. Delphi, leading 18-17, on consecutive possessions had three opportunities at easy layups but missed each one to allow Frontier to stay close. Instead of having a six-point lead going into the final period, the score was tied at 20-20.

Delphi took the lead, 25-23, for good on a basket and free throw by Erika Hawn. Hawn, Arion and Strasser hit six of seven free throws down the stretch to help the Oracles pull away in the final period on their way to a 36-29 victory.

Championship Game

Tri County brought an 8-2 record into the championship game and it didn't take long for the Oracles to find out how the Cavaliers got that record. Halfway through the first quarter, Arion scored the first points for the Oracles. That basket and a free throw by Arion in the second period were the only points for Delphi in the half. Despite Tri County playing great defense and Delphi not hitting open shots, the Oracles played some pretty good defense of their own and only trailed 11-3.

The Lady Oracles were still in the game to open the third but the Oracle's inability to solve the Cavaliers' defense and some defensive breakdowns of their own, the game was soon out of reach. A three by Hawn and a pair of free throws by Schultz were the only scoring in the second half for Delphi.

Early in the fourth there was a perfect example of how things went for the Oracles. Hawn, who is hitting 78% of her free throws, had two free throws when she was fouled on a shot. The lid on the basket was so tight that she missed both. Delphi's inability to score led to a 33-8 final score.

The bright spot for the Oracles was Arion and Hawn were named to the all tourney team.