EASTON — It’s going to get tougher to catch the Oliver Ames High School girls’ basketball team down the stretch run of the Hockomock League race.

The undefeated Tigers (11-0, 9-0) put more space between them and one of their top challengers Friday night courtesy of a 60-51 victory over Mansfield (8-3, 7-2) at OA.

The loss broke a string of five straight victories for the Hornets, who had won their last seven Hockomock League games since losing a 46-35 decision to the Tigers in the season opener.

It was also doubly frustrating for the Hornets because sometimes it seemed as if they were playing a game of 5-on-7. The officials occasionally fell into patterns of calling petty touch fouls against the Hornets and allowing instances of Oliver Ames-authored mayhem go unpenalized, although the final foul tally saw Mansfield drawing only two more fouls than the Tigers, 20-18 — and one of those was a technical against Mansfield coach Mike Redding for protesting the calls.