Wolfpack Take Victory in First Night of Border Battle

Winnipeg, Manitoba – The Oak Hills Christian College Wolfpack travelled across the border this past weekend to take on the Canadian Mennonite University Blazers Men's Basketball team in a NIAC (Northern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) matchup. They Wolfpack were able to come away with the victory after a hard fought battle on Friday night.

The team went into the weekend being short a couple of players due to injury and travel restrictions, and had to play the game on Friday with a shorter bench. While this could have caused some teams to go into the game already discouraged, this seemed to have an opposite effect on the Wolfpack as every player stepped up and was able to contribute.

Coach Lundeen had this to say about his team after Friday night's game, "I was extremely proud of how hard our men played despite being shorthanded. We rebounded incredibly well, and took care of the ball against their press. It was a total team win, as showcased by all 7 players contributing between 8 & 16 points."

Going up against a home team with a large bench, Oak Hills was able to out rebound the Blazers with the main difference being on the offensive boards. The Wolfpack were able to pull down 20 offensive boards compared to CMU's 10.

The game started off with Oak Hills able to push out to a quick 13-4 lead after the first 3 minutes of the first quarter. It was a well-balanced quarter, scoring-wise, for the Wolfpack as 6 of the 7 players scored at least 2 points during the first 10 minutes of play. The score at the close of the quarter ended with the Wolfpack up 31-19. Senior Alexander Gonzalez (Miami, FL) and freshman Caleb Smoot (McDonough, GA) led the way with each scoring 8 points in the first quarter.

The second quarter was much of the same with both teams trading baskets but the Wolfpack were able to keep their lead throughout the rest of the half and ended the first half with the score at 49-38. Gonazalez and Smoot continued to lead all scorers and finished the first half with 10 points each. Smoot also added 8 rebounds.

The third quarter saw Oak Hill's lead get pushed out to 13 and dropped to only 6 by the end of the half. This 10 minute stretch was marked by the most turnovers and fouls for the Wolfpack compared to the other quarters. These mistakes and fouls gave the Blazers the opening they needed to make their attempt to close the gap. They were able to get to within 6 points before the end of the quarter put the score at 65-59.

With the momentum leaning towards CMU going into the final quarter, Oak Hills had their work cut out for them to fight to keep their lead and earn the victory. The Wolfpack were up to the task though, as they were able to match and even outscore the Blazers while a final push was attempted. The final buzzer would sound with the score showing in favor of Oak Hills at 81-72.

Defense was the key to final half of the game with several players stepping up to make stops. Senior Deacon Bock (Blaine, MN) was a key factor on the defensive end as he was able to force several turnovers and missed fast break chances due to his hustle. "Deacon was huge for us on defense as he was able to take 3 charges at massive moments in the game," said Coach Lundeen.

Freshman Noah Larson (Park Rapids, MN) would lead all Oak Hill's players with 16 points and 10 rebounds to reach his 7^th double-double of the season. Gonzalez would follow close behind with 15 points and 6 assists. Smoot would also add a double-double of his own with 10 points and 12 rebounds. Freshman Ben Chavez Rodriguez (Woodbury, MN) and Junior Bryson Keepers (Sheldon, WI) would also hit double digits in scoring with 12 points and 11 points respectively. They would both also contribute 7 rebounds each.

Coming off the bench with great contributions for the team were Bock who would finish the game with 9 points coming from three 3-pointers at clutch moments in the game. Freshman Isaac Korell (Huron, SD) would round out the team's well balanced night with 8 points and 7 rebounds of his own. Korell would also add 4 assists to the team's total.

The Wolfpack will be back in action on Tuesday, January 28^th as they travel to Free Lutheran Bible College in Plymouth, MN to take on their NIAC opponent, The Conquerors at 6:30pm.