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By ANDREW SIMONSON | Sports Editor

NORTH SHELBY – The Oak Mountain Eagles have some much-needed positive momentum going into the Christmas break after winning their final two games of 2024.

Oak Mountain snapped a three-game losing streak with a 64-21 win over the Leeds Greenwave on Friday, Dec. 20 and followed it up with a 65-48 victory over the John Carroll Catholic Cavaliers on Saturday, Dec. 21 at Oak Mountain High School.

The Eagles stifled the Greenwave from the get-go in their matchup as the hosts surrendered just two points in the opening eight minutes.

That allowed the offense to take control of the game with six different scorers combining for 21 points. Zy Walker, Jillian Lind and Caroline Kester each hit multiple baskets in the first quarter to give Oak Mountain a commanding 21-2 lead at the end of the quarter.

That lead only grew in the second quarter as the Eagles continued to spread the ball around on the offensive end. This time, Joy Damron’s four points led seven different scorers who extended the lead to 38-10 at the halftime break.

The offensive pace slowed down in the third quarter as Oak Mountain hit less shots from the field. However, the Eagles did get five free throws to fall between Walker, Lind and Sophie Hammett, helping them maintain their lead even as Leeds’ Marley Miller hit a pair of 3-pointers.

With a 48-18 lead going into the fourth quarter, Oak Mountain wasn’t content to ride out the victory and stepped on the gas on the offensive end. Walker and Kester continued to get shots to frequently fall as the Eagles polished off the 33-point victory.

Walker led Oak Mountain with 14 points and 11 rebounds to secure a double-double. All 10 Eagles players scored in the win, including 11 points from Kester, eight from Elizabeth Butler, seven from Kristen Rogers, six from Damron, five from Lind and Hammett and four from Marly Brown.

After putting an end to its losing skid, Oak Mountain hoped to make it two wins in a row less than 24 hours later against John Carroll.

Butler and Kester led the way early for the Eagles on Saturday with Butler starting the first quarter with six points and Kester scoring five during that stretch. Their contributions plus a strong defensive effort put Oak Mountain in front 15-4 at the end of the first.

The second quarter was a much closer affair as the Cavs got going on the offensive end. However, Kester’s contributions continued to power the Eagles as she scored seven points in the second to give her team a 28-16 halftime advantage.

During that second quarter though, Walker scored her first four points of the game. That set the stage for her to take over down the stretch.

She scored 10 points in the third quarter to lead the charge for the offense. In addition, five other Oak Mountain players made a shot in the third, including 3-pointers from Meredith Renfrow and Jules Walker.

The strong offensive performance allowed the Eagles to outpace John Carroll and outscore the visitors 21-14 in the third, increasing the lead to 49-30 at the end of the quarter.

A high-scoring fourth quarter ensued, one that saw the teams combine for 34 points and Kester score a pair of 3-pointers while Zy Walker added four points to her final total. The Cavs couldn’t make up the 19-point deficit, leading to another Oak Mountain victory.

Kester scored 20 points and Zy Walker earned another double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Lind and Butler each had six points, Renfrow scored five points and Hammett finished with four points.

Oak Mountain will take a 6-14 record into Christmas break and return on Friday, Jan. 3 to face the Moody Blue Devils at 5:30 p.m. at Oak Mountain High School in the final game before the start of area play on Tuesday, Jan. 7.