C of O Basketball Teams Split in Classics

The College of the Ozarks Basketball teams split in Classics over the Weekend.

The information from edited College of the Ozarks Sports Information Press Releases is below:

C of O Women

The College of the Ozarks Lady Cats continued their road swing in Sterling, Kansas as they competed in the Lonnie Kruze Classic at Sterling College. Coming of a win in Wichita the night before over Friends University, The Lady Cats were set to face the host, Sterling College on Friday and Southwestern College Saturday.  

Sterling College opened the 2021-22 season having finished last season with a 30-1 record and a Sweet-16 appearance in the NAIA National Championship Tournament. Their unblemished record to start this season was on the line as the Lady Cats came to town with the Warriors gaining an 83-71 win. 

While the scoreboard was not in favor of the Lady Cats when time expired, there were definite take aways to build on from this contest.    Kayley Frank scored a career high 29 points to pace the Lady Cats, including a perfect 8-8 from the free throw line. The Lady Cats were a perfect 17-17 from the charity stripe, which ties the single game record for the Lady Cats. Coach Mullis commented, “I am really proud of our team and the way we battled against a high caliber team. Sterling is one of the top teams in the country and we held our own and gave ourselves a chance. We are seeing definite growth and I’m excited to see the continued development of this group.”

Along with Franks’ 29 points, Annie Noah and Stevi Jones added nine each, Michelle Gabani contributed eight, Kyra Hardesty tacked on seven, Blythe Benefield – six, and Katie Mayes chipped in three.

It’s not very often that a team is able to ride momentum from the previous game, when that game was a loss. That’s exactly what the Lady Cats set out to do in day two of the Sterling Classic. Facing the Mound Builders of Southwestern College, the Lady Cats were determined to keep moving in a positive direction and did rolling to a 92-60 win. 

The Lady Cats connected on 27 of 29 free throws in the contest making them 44-46 over the two games and 63-70 through the three game stretch.  

Four Lady Cats scored in double figures with Kyra Hardesty going 6-7 from beyond the arc for 18 points. Katie Mayes matched the game high with 18, Kayley Frank added 17, and Annie Noah threw in 15. Blythe Benefield added seven, Michelle Gabani and Cameran Martin each chipped in six, Jada Henry contributed three and Stevi Jones added two.  

The Lady Cats will be back in action Tuesday as they head to Lyon College in Batesville, Arkansas for a 6 PM contest.

C of O Men

The Bobcats traveled up the road to Springfield for the Baptist Bible College Classic over the weekend and faced the Grand View Vikings, from Des Moines, Iowa Friday, and Central Methodist University in the Saturday contest.

The classic opener got off to a slow start for both teams but Grand View pulled away in the second half then held off a Bobcat rally to win 74-72.

The Bobcats placed four in double figures with Josh Linehan scoring 18, Garrett Simmerman – 14, Kyle Flavin – 13, and Matt Luebbert chipped in 10. Tanner Rogers added nine, Blaine Cline contributed six, and Tanner Diaz and Drew Vachon each added two.

The Bobcats were set to bounce back as they faced the Eagles of Central Methodist University in the Saturday matchup. 

The contest started off as a back-and-forth affair with neither team able to create a gap but the Eagles eventually pulled away in the second half and took the contest, 84-70.

The Bobcats were led by Josh Linehan with 24 points. Andrew Mitchell poured in 18 and Kyle Flavin contributed double figures, scoring 10. Tanner Rogers chipped in six, while Garrett Simmerman and Blaine Cline added two each.

The Bobcats will be back on the road next weekend as they head to LaCross, Wisconsin for the Viterbo University Classic. They will face Bellevue University Friday at 5 PM and Viterbo University at 3 PM Saturday.