EGELSTON TOWNSHIP – There’s a tired but true old saying in sports about “peaking at the right time.”

It’s what every coach dreams of – having everything come together just before playoff or tournament time – but a lot of things have to go right to make that happen.

At Oakridge, it seems to be happening, because the boys basketball team that struggled all season is suddenly winning a lot, against some very good opposition.

And the timing couldn’t be better for the Eagles, with the Division 2 district basketball tournament just around the corner.

The Eagles definitely weren’t in very good shape following a 57-47 loss to Montague on Feb. 1. They were 5-8 overall, 2-6 in the West Michigan Conference and had lost five of their previous six games.

At that point, with only a few weeks left in the regular season, a lot of teams would have mentally surrendered and gone through the motions through the rest of the schedule.

But the Eagles did just the opposite. They started by ripping off three straight wins against pretty decent teams – Shelby (59-48), Western Michigan Christian (78-57) and Mason County Central (72-60).

Then Oakridge really got everyone’s attention last week, beating the two leaders in their conference in consecutive games. They downed second-place Ravenna 65-51, then stunned first-place Whitehall 62-60 in overtime last Friday.

It’s a whole new ballgame at Oakridge, and veteran Coach Tracy Ruel is happy to see the change.

Ruel said the big difference for the Eagles has been the play of three key seniors – Ethan Josza, Garrett Wever and Hunter DeLora – who have all been on the varsity squad for three years.

The coach said he challenged them to take the reins of leadership and carry the team down the stretch of the season, and they have responded. One good example is Wever, who was averaging 11.1 points per game through Feb. 1, and has scored 24, 30, 20, 25 and 22 points in the five games of the winning streak.

For the season, Josza is averaging 17.5 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. Wever is averaging 12.7 points, 6.2 rebounds and 4.6 assists. DeLora is averaging 9.7 points and 4.3 rebounds, while freshman Peyton Ruel is averaging 4.7 assists.

“I kind of challenged those three seniors after the Montague game,” Ruel said. “In the fourth quarter against Montague, we had seven straight possessions where one of those big three did not take a shot. I told Garret Wever, ‘I can sit here and watch you put teams on your back and carry them. We need that from you now. This is your senior year. How do you want to go out?’

“Those three seniors have played really well and picked up their games since then. They’ve been more aggressive toward the basket, more aggressive looking for good shots, and just playing harder.”

The three seniors definitely took charge in the overtime upset of Whitehall, which very nearly slipped away after the Eagles had taken a big lead.

Oakridge led 18-8 after the opening quarter and extended their advantage to 36-23 at halftime. Whitehall closed the gap to seven points after three quarters, and a 16-9 edge in the fourth quarter allowed the Vikings to tie the game at 58-58 and send it to overtime.

The Eagles came out on top with a 4-2 edge in overtime to hold on for the win.

Wever led the Eagles with 22 points, Jozsa added 20 and DeLora chipped in 10 points.

“We gave away a big lead,” Ruel said about the exciting upset over Whitehall. “It was a 20-point game with about 2 ½ minutes left in the first half, and they had only scored 11 points. Unfortunately we had a couple fouls and Whitehall went on a bit of a run.

“But our guys didn’t quit, even when Whitehall got back in the game and even took the lead at one point. Our team in the past might have folded or had a big letdown at a key moment, but these guys stepped up and played really well.”

Wever said he and his teammates have been working extra hard as the season winds down, and they’re enjoying all the winning.

“We’ve been coming together and playing good and having a lot of fun,” the senior said. “I’ve been trying to create more and trying to open it up for my team, and trying to bring more to the table than I had been. And my teammates have been doing a good job of getting me open and getting me looks.”

The recent wins have reminded the Eagles and their fans about what Oakridge boys basketball used to be like, before the pandemic.

In the two years prior to COVID, Oakridge finished second in the tough West Michigan Conference. Last year they finished fourth, and this year the Eagles are in fifth place.

But conference standings have nothing to do with the state tournament, and the Eagles are excited about what they might be able to accomplish in the upcoming districts, which begin a week from Monday.

“Some of the guys on our team aren’t basketball players year-round, but they’re great athletes,” said Coach Ruel, whose team will finish the regular season with a home game against North Muskegon on Friday and a road game on Tuesday at Hart. “Right now, they are getting their basketball legs, and so they’re starting to get into the groove and rhythm of the game.”

“I think we had the potential to play like this all season,” Wever added. “As long as we keep working hard I think we can keep playing like this.”