This last weekend, the Barclay College Men’s Basketball had two great opportunities to pull off an upset. On Friday night, Dallas Christian College (Dallas, TX) visited Hockett Auditorium for a Southwest Region game and then on Saturday afternoon for homecoming, soon to be NAIA Division II Grace University (Omaha, NE) traveled south.

Friday evening the Bears had a rematch with Dallas Christian. First semester the Crusaders easily handled the Bears down in Dallas, but they were in for surprise this time around. In the first half, despite shooting just 33 percent from the field, the Bears trailed by just ten, 23-33. In the second half, the Bears were able to hang with Dallas Christian until two Crusaders caught fire from behind the arc to extend their lead and hold on for the win, 83-61.

On Saturday afternoon, the Grace University Royals were able to put a damper on the Bears upset bid very early in the game. Once again, the Bears shot poorly in the first half (27%) and found themselves trailing 40-23 at the midway point. This group of Bears continued to compete, however, trimming the lead to 13 on several occasions before the Royal’s height and athleticism took their toll, 80-59.

On the weekend, the Bears were led by Junior Tommy Leach and Freshman Cole Hibler. Leach went for 15 points on Friday and 20 on Saturday while Hibler connected for 17 points on Friday and 12 on Saturday. On a bright spot, Senior Austin Ogle was named the homecoming king on Saturday afternoon.

The Bears were scheduled to play Tuesday, February 3rd at Hillsdale Free Will Baptist, but due to the weather, the game is being rescheduled for Thursday, February 13th in Moore, OK at 4:00 PM CST. This weekend two MCCC teams will pay a visit to Haviland. On Friday night, Calvary Bible College will be in town at 7:30 PM and then Ozark Christian will play the Bears at 3:00 PM on Saturday.