TULSA, Okla. (March 7, 2019) – If Oklahoma Christian caught folks off guard last season by making a run to the Heartland Conference Championship men's basketball tournament final as a No. 7 seed, the Eagles won't have the element of surprise this time around.
Even as a No. 6 seed, OC coach
Cory Cole said, there is a respect for the Eagles this time around that wasn't present last season. The challenge for OC this time around will be to remember that this season isn't last season and that No. 3 seed Lubbock Christian (Texas) will be ready for the Eagles when they meet Friday at 7:30 p.m. at the Union Multipurpose Activity Center in a Heartland quarterfinal.
"When you get to your first matchup (in the tournament), you can't overthink it," Cole said. "Both teams are familiar with one other. The staffs will have their guys ready to play. You just have to go out there and relax and be confident and be you on that particular day."
OC (10-17) and Lubbock Christian (20-8) split their regular-season games, both winning by lopsided margins. The Eagles won 72-57 in Oklahoma City on Jan. 26, while the Chaparrals prevailed 79-60 on Feb. 23 in Lubbock.
The Chaparrals are a classic inside-outside team. Brennan Fowler, who at 6-foot-7 and 270 pounds presents a commanding presence in the paint and can step outside and shoot the 3-pointer at a 39.2-percent clip. Meanwhile, guard Isaac Asrat controls the perimeter, shooting 35.7 percent from behind the arc. The two – both first-team All-Heartland picks – combined to average 35.4 points per game.
There's also a wild card in forward Rashaan Proctor, who's coming off a week in which he earned Heartland player-of-the-week honors as the Chaparrals upset a top-10 foe in St. Edward's (Texas), joining OC as the only teams in the league to beat the powerful Hilltoppers.
"They are balanced," Cole said of the Chaparrals. "Asrat and Fowler are the heart of their team. Their strengths are their strengths and they get to maximize the decisions. You have to stop those two. They are a winning combination. They play right and they play hard and they make good decisions. They're really efficient."
OC can counter with a deep frontline that includes the Heartland's co-defensive player of the year
Will Lienhard – who ranks second in Division II in rebounding and first in the Heartland in blocked shots – along with
Roderick Smith,
York Benjamin and
Braden Eggleston. The Eagles had success in the first game against Lubbock Christian when they continually threw fresh bodies at Fowler.
The Eagles' leading scorer is senior guard
Jordan Box, who played big minutes in the Eagles' tournament run last season and who is fourth in the Heartland in scoring at 16.3 points per game. He was named to the All-Heartland second-team list.
Cole said his team learned much last season, including the rhythm of the tournament and what is needed to be successful in win-or-go-home games, which will be of benefit this time around. He said the Eagles won't be overwhelmed by the moment.
"We've got some experience now, but we're not overconfident, because that last taste we had at the conference tournament wasn't a good one," Cole said. "We weren't happy with winning two games. It was the last game when we didn't finish like we wanted to. Our guys will be mindful, more prepared and relaxed and will try to finish."
The other Friday quarterfinal will pit fourth-seeded Newman (20-8) against fifth-seeded Rogers State (19-11). The Thursday quarterfinal games will be top-seeded St. Edward's (25-3) vs. eighth-seeded St. Mary's (Texas) (12-16) and second-seeded Dallas Baptist (Texas) (21-9) against seventh-seeded Arkansas-Fort Smith (10-18).
The OC-Lubbock Christian winner will play the Dallas Baptist-UAFS winner in the semifinals at 7:30 p.m. Saturday. The title game will be played at 3 p.m. Sunday.
