Photo by: Henoc Kivuye
On Thursday, March 7, the Oklahoma Christian University Lady Eagles’ basketball team began their road to the NCCAA national tournament.
In order to qualify for the national tournament, the Lady Eagles had to win the NCCAA central regional tournament, which took place at Oklahoma Wesleyan University in Bartlesville, Okla.
That’s exactly what they did.
In the first round of regionals, Oklahoma Christian blew past Ecclesia College 91-46. During the matchup, every member of the Lady Eagles added points to the board, led by senior Katy O’Steen with 13.
“That kind of point distribution is exactly what we have been striving for all season,” head women’s basketball coach Stephanie Findley said. “While it’s always good to have your consistent leaders, teams with widespread scoring are difficult to take on.”
On Friday, March 8, the Lady Eagles faced a more familiar foe, Heartland Conference opponent McMurry University, in the regional semifinals. The conference rival gave them no trouble, though; Oklahoma Christian defeated McMurry for the third time this season, 66-51. O’Steen blazed a trail with 13 points, followed by junior Krista Stevens with nine.
With two big wins under their belt, the Lady Eagles found themselves in the championship game facing long-time rival Southern Nazarene University for the regional title and the bid to the national tournament. During the regular season, Oklahoma Christian split with Southern Nazarene.
Despite the numerous lead changes, ties and tense possessions, the Lady Eagles came out on top, beating the Crimson Storm 73-64. Prior to the championship game, Southern Nazarene had maintained a 14-game winning streak.
Stevens led the Lady Eagles with 20 points, including a long 3-pointer from the top of the key that served as the dagger in the final minutes of the competition. O’Steen added 14 points and 13 rebounds in the championship victory.
Senior Madison Middle said the team came to play every day, taking the tournament one game at a time.
“We peaked at the right time for that tournament,” Middle said. “That was the first time we had ever really won anything since I’ve been here. It was cool to finally be able to put a banner in the gym.”
As regional champions, the Lady Eagles earned a bid to the national tournament in Winona Lake, Ind.
On Wednesday, March 13, Oklahoma Christian scraped by Cedarville University in the first round, 78-74. The Lady Eagles fell behind early in the first half, but thanks to a second-half rally led by freshman Sydney Hill, they battled back to keep their national championship hopes alive.
Hill scored 22 points in the second half to dig the Lady Eagles out of a 13-point deficit. Sophomore Logan McKee’s 3-point shooting kept Oklahoma Christian close in the first half. McKee finished the game with 17 points.
Friday, March 15, the Lady Eagles fell into a first-half hole that proved near impossible to escape.
Just after half-time, Oklahoma Christian found themselves down 24 points to second seed California Baptist University. Despite nearly even scoring throughout the second half, the Lady Eagles were unable to close the gap and time expired with a final score of 98-86.
O’Steen scored a career-high 31 points during the second-round loss at nationals, but that was not enough to match the Lancers’ 56.5 percent from the 3-point line.
“The biggest challenge in the first loss at nationals was knowing you weren’t competing for a national title game your last game,” O’Steen said.
Since the NCCAA national tournament was double elimination, the Lady Eagles had the opportunity to play the number one seed, Union University, for third place.
Shooting just 28.3 percent from the field, Oklahoma Christian was unable to seal a final win and settled into fourth place after the 64-53 loss.
“Our shots just weren’t falling,” Findley said. “They did a good job of taking away our inside game, and despite the good looks we were getting from the outside, we just couldn’t hit.”
Oklahoma Christian finished with a record of 20-13, an improvement from their 9-20 record the previous season.
“You’re always upset after losing the last game of the season, but whether you win or lose, I believe the hardest part is letting go of the seniors,” Findley said.
Seniors Madison Middle and O’Steen were both able to make two national tournament appearances during their careers at Oklahoma Christian, but they will miss more than just the team’s success after graduation.
“The thing I’ll miss most is my teammates,” Middle said. “I’m going to miss being a part of something and spending so much time with my closest friends.”
After so much time spent forming bonds with their fellow players, the Lady Eagles are essentially saying goodbye to family.
“I will miss the chance to compete,” O’Steen said. “I’ll miss the relationships you build with a group of 20 girls that you are as close to as sisters.”
Findley said the leadership Middle and O’Steen offered the lower classmen this season will continue to benefit them in preparation for and during the following seasons.
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