Fresh off the upset win over Vista del Lago on Jan. 26, Oak Ridge is riding a six-game win streak entering tonight’s game at home against Galt.

The Warriors defeated the Trojans on Jan. 7, which is the last time Oak Ridge has lost, as the team enters tonight’s game with a 6-1 league record and a 13-9 mark overall. The Trojans will be looking for revenge against Galt and is playing much better than they were a month ago.

“Our improvement has been a process,” Oak Ridge coach Bob Christensen said. “It’s taken some time, but the keys have been that we’ve stuck with the fundamentals. Success is a journey, not a destination and there are going to be peaks and valleys. We’re now playing as a team and sharing the ball and we’re stressing the team. Everything starts and with us doing it together.”

The fact that Galt is the team’s next opponent is important in that the team has a built in reason to be up for the game – Oak Ridge’s only league loss is to Galt, 64-55.

“Our motivation is high for this game and now we’ve just got to go out and perform,” Christensen said. “Now that we’ve been performing at a high level, my expectation to the team is that they keep playing at this high level.”

The Trojans’ 49-48 win over the Eagles has brought them into a first-place tie with the Eagles. The Trojans played superbly in the first half, outscoring Vista 17-10 in both the first and second quarters to gain control of the game.

Vista came back in the second half and had a chance to send the game into overtime. Vista guard Hayden Lescault was fouled shooting a 3-pointer as time expired and was awarded three free throws. He hit the first two, but the third attempt was off the mark and Oak Ridge pulled off the upset.

Tyler Simms drained a 3-pointer with only 23.3 seconds left to set up the dramatic finish to a game that had playoff intensity.

“It’s one of those games, it’s a rival and the kids know each other and I could just sense that the kids had a different approach in practice leading up to the game,” Christensen said. “That extra focus in practice and our execution of our game plan allowed us to win. We played with a lot of energy and got good shots and made them.”

Bryce Scott scored 12 points in the win, while Zack McMillen added 10. Tyler Simms and Will Findlay both chipped in eight.

While Christensen likes to look at all games being equal, he admitted this one was special.

“They’re a very good team with a lot of skill players and are the top-ranked team in the area so it was a great win for us,” Christensen said. “In the big picture, though, it’s a league win that gets us closer to our goal of winning a league championship.”

On Friday the Trojans easily handled Ponderosa, 72-30. The Trojan defense limited the Bruins to single digits in scoring in each of the first three quarters and scored more than 20 points in both the third and fourth quarters.

Scott led the way with 17 points, followed by Findlay, who scored 14.