The OHS varsity boys basketball team defeated the Mehlville Panthers 59-40 on Saturday, Feb. 27 to solidify a spot in the district championship game. 

Their opponents will be the Fox Warriors, who entered the postseason as the fourth seed but beat the top-seeded Lindbergh Flyers in the first round of the district tournament. The championship game will be played Tuesday, March 2 at 6:30 at OHS.

The Tigers, who improved their record to 12-12, have momentum going into the championship game with three players scoring double-digit points in Saturday’s victory over Mehlville. Drew Elza (12) led the team with 21 points and three steals. Grant Hastings (11) scored 15 points and Tommy Hennessy (10) ended with 11.

The team as a whole totaled only nine turnovers. “We took care of the basketball,” said OHS head coach Nick Traxler.

With Saturday’s big win behind them, the Tigers enter Tuesday’s championship game with confidence.

“It’s a business trip,” said guard Matt Keller (12). “Walk in, handle business, walk out, nothing else. We have lost in districts the last three years. I want to win this one for Oakville.”

The boys are not the only team to prolong their season. The girl’s basketball team finished the Lindbergh Flyers’ season with a nail-biting 37-35 win Monday night (March 1) in a district semifinal game at OHS.

Sami Simokaitis (9), drained an overtime-inducing three-pointer at the end of the fourth quarter to tie the game at 33. In overtime, Kylie Anderson (10) knocked down a 12-foot jumper, with under 20 seconds left, to give the Tigers the last two points needed to put the Flyers away.

The district championship game is scheduled to be played at OHS this Wednesday, March 3, against Cor Jesu. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.