By Brad Greer

Any coach will tell you they would want their team to be playing their best basketball at the end of regular season play to get ready for post-season.

By the looks of North Delta boys’ win over Oak Hill Saturday, the Green Wave perhaps are peaking at the right time.

Jonathan Mackey knocked down five  free throws in the final 27 seconds as the Green Wave erased a 39-34 third quarter deficit to take a 53-47 victory over the Raiders to record their third win out of four games.

Mackey, along with fellow senior Renic Greenlee, paced North Delta (9-14) with 15 points each. Mackey also dished out a game-high seven assists.

North Delta took their first lead since late in the first half  at 46-44 as Greenlee canned a three-pointer with 1:55 remaining in the game.

After a basket by Drake Riley put Oak Hill ahead 47-46 with 1:46 left, Tylor Lee’s bucket at the 1:08 mark gave North Delta the lead for good.

Following a missed shot by the Raiders, Mackey was fouled and sent to the charity stripe where the senior hit two free throws to extend the lead to 50-47 then later added two of three more with 15 seconds to ice the contest.

Sam Copeland added seven points followed by Lee and Hunt Howell with six points. Lee also led the strong defensive effort with 11 rebounds. Will Hartzell rounded out the scoring with four points.

Greenlee set the tone early in the first quarter by connecting on two treys to give the Wave a 12-4 lead. Oak Hill responded with six straight points to close the margin to 14-10.

John Wesley Williamson’s nine second quarter points rallied the Raiders to a 25-25 tie at halftime. Williamson led all scorers with 18 points.

Oak Hill (girls)- 46
North Delta- 34

Despite giving one of their grittiest efforts of the season, the North Delta Lady Waves stood toe-to-toe with the No. 4 ranked Raiders before dropping their fifth straight game.

North Delta (14-15) led the game for most of the first half before back-to-back baskets by Sarah Dill gave the Lady Raiders a 21-20 halftime lead

Oak Hill (22-5) outscored North Delta 14-5 in the third quarter to take a 35-25 lead into the final stanza. Dill, a ninth-grader, paved the way with 15 points.

North Delta cut the Raider lead to 36-30 early in the fourth quarter on an Erin Snider basket but could not get any closer as Oak Hill reeled off the next six points for a 44-30 advantage.

Hastings Neal and Charla Shea Darby  paved the way for North Delta with nine points each. Claire Gant chipped in with five points and three assists while Snider added four and Julianna Morrow added three.

Jordan Pullen contributed with seven rebounds and two  points. Callie Blake Masterson also scored two points.

North Delta closed its home finale’ last night against Magnolia Heights and will end the regular at Desoto, Ark. Monday at 6 p.m. before gearing up for the District 1-2AA tournament February 7-9 at Indianola.