C of O Splits NCCAA Regional Championship Games

The College of the Ozarks Split their games at the Keeter Athletic Complex Saturday in the National Christian College Athletic Association Central Regional Finals.

The Lady Bobcats rallied to take down Baptist Bible College 76-58 while the Bobcats fell short in their Regional Championship bid, falling to Ecclesia College 79-73.

The details from both games are below from College of the Ozarks Sports Information:

C of O Women
With a trip to the NCCAA Division I National Championship Tournament on the line, the College of the Ozarks Lady Bobcats entered NCCAA Central Region Championship game Saturday as the favorite against Baptist Bible College. The Patriots had upset in mind and the two teams were meeting for the second time in a span of seven days.

The Patriots wasted little time in setting the tone for the contest. After an Annie Noah basket on the first possession of the game, the Patriots rattled off nine unanswered points and held a 9-2 advantage.  Kayley Frank broke the Lady Cat silence with a jumper at the 5:17 mark, but BBC quickly responded with a three. The Lady Cats struggled to put points on the board, and relied on Jordan Wersinger, and Susanna Moran to keep the score close. As time ticked away in the opening frame, the Patriots held a 15-9 lead. Taylor Rush scored as time expired and the game went to the quarter break with the Lady Cats trailing 15-11. 

The change in quarter did not change the tide for the Lady Cats. BBC continued to apply pressure and the basket remained elusive. Taylor Rush scored at the 7:59 mark, but BBC extended their lead to 23-14, with 5:45 remaining in the half. Wersinger connected for two, but the Patriots answered with a free throw and a three. A Kayley Frank free throw was all the offense the Lady Cats could manage, and the deficit grew to 29-17 by the 2:48 mark. A Blythe Benefield jumper was followed by a basket by Susanna Moran and a Taylor Rush three. The Lady Cats had clawed their way back into contention and now trailed 29-24. The momentum was short lived as a BBC free throw and a three held off the Lady Cat challenge. Susanna Moran connected on a pair of free throws to close out the half, and the Lady Cats trailed 33-26 at the intermission. 

Hoping the shooting misfortunes would swing in a positive direction in the second half, the Lady Cats came out ready to go to work. The Patriots scored first with a Cassidy Hambelton three and Jordan Wersinger answered with a bucket on the other end. BBC continued to hold off the Lady Cats, providing a response to every basket. A Taylor Rush three cut the gap to 39-33 midway through the third period and the tide began to shift. BBC responded with a basket but Benefield, Wersinger, Katie Mayes, Frank, and Moran all scored before the Patriots could answer. The 13-0 run found the Lady Cats taking the lead with 2:08 remaining in the quarter and the momentum was all with the Lady Cats. A BBC layup was answered with a Taylor Rush three, and the Lady Cat lead was 49-43 at the break. 

The fourth quarter was all Lady Cats as Moran, Frank, and Wersinger teamed up for a 6-2 run in the opening minutes. BBC struggled to put points on the board and the Lady Cats continued to pull away. Frank, Rush and Wersinger added to the lead and by the 4:54 mark, the advantage had grown to 66-52. The Patriots had no answer for the Lady Cat offensive outburst, and points by Jada Henry, Stevi Jones and Katie Mayes closed out the scoring to secure the 76-58 Lady Cats win. 

Taylor Rush led all scorers, pouring in 21 points. Jordan Wersinger added 19, and Kayley Frank and Susanna Moran each contributed 11. Blythe Benefield chipped in six to go with her 11 rebounds, while Katie Mayes tacked on four, Annie Noah two, and Jada Henry and Stevi Jones each added one point. 

The win gives the Lady cats an automatic berth to the NCCAA Division I National Championship Tournament. They will now wait for the tournament field and bracket to be announced for the event to be held in Winona Lake, Indiana, March 15-18.

C of O Men
Riding a two-game win streak, including a dominating performance in the Regional Semifinal, the College of the Ozarks Bobcats were looking to secure a spot in the NCCAA National Championship Tournament. Standing in their way, however, were the Ecclesia Royals. The Royals had taken the most recent meeting between the two teams, 70-62 in Springdale, and the Bobcats knew they would have their work cut out for them. 

The Bobcats jumped out to an early lead with a Matt Luebbert bucket inside, a Josh Linehan three, a basket by Andrew Mitchell, and a Luebbert three-point play. A 10-2 Bobcat lead was the result, and the Royals were in an early hole. Garrett Simmerman got on the board with a pair of baskets and with 14:39 remaining, the Bobcat lead was up to 14-4. Ecclesia began to come to life and soon had cut the Bobcat lead to 15-11. Lubbert and Linehan combined for a basket and a three to hold off the Royals’ charge, but the pressure continued to grow. The Royals cut the gap to 20-17 before Devin Carroll drained a pair of threes, and Kyle Flavin scored to build the lead back to 28-17. Andrew Mitchell scored, and Carroll sank another from beyond the arc before Ecclesia put together a 9-0 run. Carroll hit another three to end the scoreless streak, but the Royals rattled off five unanswered points to close the half. The game went into the intermission with the Bobcats clinging to a 36-35 lead. 

The momentum had clearly shifted at the end of the half and the Bobcats needed to respond. A Josh Linehan basket to start the second half seemed to be the answer. A quick Ecclesia three however, would indicate otherwise. Another three by the Royals gave them their first lead and the clock had moved to 18:23. Kyle Flavin drained one from deep to tie the score and the teams began trading baskets. The score would be tied three more times before the Royals would build a four-point advantage. The tug of war continued, but Ecclesia maintained a slight edge.  A pair of Terry Gupton free throws cut the gap to 55-54 at the midway point of the second half. The Bobcats continued to battle but could not find a way to regain the lead. Kyle Flavin and Matt Luebbert scored to keep the game close, and the Bobcats trailed 66-63 with 5:15 left to play. For every challenge the Bobcats posed, the Royals provided an answer. Time continued to tick away, and the Bobcats could not put together the much-needed run. A Royals three at the 2:14 mark bumped the score to 70-65 and the Bobcats were in trouble. A Garrett Simmerman free throw and a Flavin basket followed by a three, would keep the gap at five, but Ecclesia continued to answer. Flavin would hit two more free throws down the stretch, but that would be all the Bobcat offense. Ecclesia was able to run down the clock and took the win, 79-73.

Kyle Flavin scored 22 points to lead all scorers, and Matt Luebbert turned in a solid performance pouring in 15. Devin Carroll added 14, while Josh Linehan and Garrett Simmerman each added eight. Andrew Mitchell chipped in four, and Terry Gupton added two points to round out the Bobcat scoring. 

The Bobcat season came to an end with the loss. While the season may not have gone exactly as planned, The Bobcats battled hard and overcame a lot of adversity. The two seniors, Matt Luebbert and Andrew Mitchell, led a young group of Bobcats through some difficult times for the program. They showed a lot of resilience, perseverance, and made a lasting impact on the young men around them. With a good core returning, the Bobcats will look forward to good things to come in the future.