ROCHESTER HILLS >> Bloomfield Hills has held pole position in the OAA Red race the past several weeks.

The Black Hawks remain in control of the finish line and whether any other teams can cross it as well after Tuesday’s 2-0 win at defending Division 1 state champion Rochester Adams that secured them at least a share of the league crown.

While the Black Hawks played for a regional championship last season against eventual D1 finalist Hartland, they lost four games in the league and tied for bottom of the table, a stark contrast to this year’s 10-0-2 overall mark and 4-0-1 record in the Red.

“It’s a big deal, especially coming from (where we did) last year,” Bloomfield Hills center back Lauren Cuson said. “It’s my senior year, so it’s a big deal to me and for the program. I think we’ve worked really hard to get where we are, so just seeing it pay off is pretty great.”

Cuson has been part of a defensive trio that has limited teams to just a handful of goals throughout this season, a trend of dominance that continued Tuesday despite not being tested all too often.

That was especially the case in the first half, even though it ended without either team striking for an advantage. Adams had a chance late in the first 40 minutes with a clean look from Sadie Rogers, but possession heavily favored the visitors and their relentless intention to spread the ball to the flanks entering the final third. It nearly resulted in the opening goal when Emma Henry’s low driven service for Sofia Spano led to a shot that was clipped wide of the near post with 10 minutes left in the half.

The strategy began to pay dividends when a ball in from the left side was headed in by junior Addison Herr to put the Black Hawks up seven minutes into the second act.

Herr traded her goalscoring hat for an assisting cap with 17:36 remaining as her cross to Molly Hulstrom was chested over the line by the junior midfielder in a sequence that heavily resembled the one earlier involving Henry and Spano.

“There were good quality opportunities and chances, and we took our chances, and that was the difference,” Bloomfield Hills head coach Alan Zakaria said.Some of Adams’ best work came in response of the second goal. Layla Tomezak gave it a go and nearly cut the lead in half with an attempt from some distance outside the 18-yard box, though her ambitious effort hit the crossbar but did not cross the line. The Highlanders also had a set piece from a promising spot that resulted in a six-player wall by the Black Hawks, but a shot angled away from the opposing row and toward the opposite corner struck a separate player and fell harmlessly before being cleared by the industrious Bloomfield Hills defense.

“They’re good at what they do,” Adams head coach Josh Hickey said. “We didn’t capitalize on our chances. We had a few. The second half was a little more open I think for both teams, but they did what they had to do, then they held out, so they deserved to win, that’s for sure.”

Despite also officially falling out of the league race, Adams showed last year that failing to win the OAA Red should be no reflection on postseason prospects, but now the focus turns solely to defending the title with three matches remaining, including a trip to Okemos on Thursday.

Hickey noted that team chemistry could still stand to be improved. “We’ve had some people missing in multiple games,” he said. “We have a good team, we play hard, and the losses we’ve had, even though they’ve been like 2-0 differentials for most of them, I feel like we’ve been closer in those games. I didn’t feel like this was a 2-0 loss, but the scoreboard reads that, so it is what it is. They played great.”

By virtue of Athens’ 2-0 win at rival Troy on Tuesday, only the Red Hawks have the potential to win a share of the OAA Red spoils from Bloomfield Hills — Rochester, like the Black Hawks, are unbeaten in the league, but with three ties, the Falcons don’t have the requisite points.

Regardless, Bloomfield Hills can win the division outright with a win or draw at home against Oxford (4-7-3, 0-3-2) on May 13.

“I think just the growth in mindset (explains the improvement),” Zakaria said. “In the offseason, and during the season, we’re just continuing to try to get better and trying to grow. And I think we got better today. We’re going to continue to grow tomorrow, practice, and it’s another big game on Thursday (against Lake Orion) to try and get better, and I think that’s been helpful for us this year.”