The Mighty Oaks entered the night looking for a school record 25th victory on the year, as well as their fifth CCNIT championship in the tournament's seven year history, as they squared off against the Bulldogs of Wilberforce University.
After trailing 44-36 at the halftime buzzer, the Oaks entered the second half with work to do. OCU managed to climb back into the lead, but the Bulldogs responded to retake the lead. Wilberforce made their foul shots down the stretch, holding off the desperate comeback try of the Oaks, winning by the final score of 87-80.
The big three led the Oaks again, as they have done all season long, led by the 24 points and six rebounds of Andrew Scott, who made 7-12 from the field, including 5-8 from three point range. Addison Wagler added 22 points and a game high six assists, followed by Logan Worthington, who posted 18 points and nine rebounds, while handing out five assists.
Andrew Scott finished the season ranked seventh on the all-time OCU scoring list, with 1,499 points at the end of his junior year, while classmate Addison Wagler currently stands in eighth, with 1,482.
Austin Daniels led the way for the Bulldogs, scoring 25 points on 7-10 shooting, including 4-5 from three point range, and a perfect 7-7 from the charity stripe. Arthur Haggard added 24 points on 8-11 shooting, including 4-6 from beyond the arc, followed by Malik Breckenridge, who posted 17 counters.
For the game, Oakland City shot 31-56 (55.4%) from the field, connecting on 9-23 (39.1%) of his three point attempts. The Bulldogs made 31-57 (54.4%) of their shot attempts, going 9-20 (45.0%) from long range. The real difference in the game came at the foul line, as the Oaks went 9-16 (56.3%), compared to 16-23 (69.6%) for the visiting Wilberforce squad.
As a team, the Mighty Oaks had 19 assists and 11 turnovers, while the Bulldogs had 10 assists and 16 errors. OCU blocked two shots, while having none of their shots swatted away, while trailing in steals 7-6. The Oaks hauled in 23 rebounds, compared to 34 for the Bulldogs, including a 12-5 deficit on the offensive boards.
The 2018 Christian College National Invitational Tournament All-Tournament Team were:
Travis Gagau - Southwestern Adventist University
Fatai Eke - Southwestern Adventist University
Kendrick Williams - Rhema College
Dess Culpepper - Hiwassee College
Tele Adenihum - Rhema College
Kendall Oliver - Johnson University-Florida
Aario Johnson - Hiwassee College
Andrew Scott - Oakland City University
Joe Hinton - Oakland City University
Addison Wagler - Oakland City University
Player of the Tournament:
Logan Worthington - Oakland City University
Tournament Most Valuable Player:
Arthur Haggard - Wilberforce University
Final standings for the tournament were:
Eighth Place - Carolina Christian College
Seventh Place - Southwestern Adventist University
Sixth Place - Wright State University-Lake Campus
Fifth Place - Johnson University-Florida
Fourth Place - Hiwassee College
Third Place - Rhema College
Second Place - Oakland City University
First Place - Wilberforce University
The Mighty Oaks ended the year, tying the school record for wins in a season, finishing the 2017-18 campaign with an overall record of 24-3, including a record breaking 16-game win streak.
