2008 ACCA Tournament Summary

The Champion Baptist College Tigers arrived in Oklahoma City for the ACCA Men's Division II National Tournament as a #3 seed. For their first round of play, the Tigers faced the #6 seed, Crossroads College, from Rochester, Minnesota.

#3 Champion Baptist College vs. #6 Crossroads College (Rochester, MN)
Tigers Pull One Out in O.T.
The Champion Baptist College Tigers advanced to the ACCA National Semi-final game with a 73-71 overtime win over Crossroads College. Crossroads trailed by 2 points with 16 seconds to go when Terry Ayres hit a bucket with 7.6 seconds left in regulation tying the game at 62. The Tigers couldn't get a shot to land and that led them to overtime. Tigers Sophomore Andrew Pryor took over in the overtime period, scoring all 11 points, finishing with 34 points, 10 rebounds, and a crucial 8-8 from the free throw line. Guard Mark Harper led the Tigers with 10 assists, and brothers Marc and Tim Likins chipped in 10 and 13 points respectively. Final Score: 73-71.

#3 Champion Baptist College vs. #7 Canadian Mennonite University (Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada)
Tigers Bid to Repeat as National Champions Fall Short in Semi-Finals.
Canadian Mennonite University had a game plan to shut down the Tigers Sophomore sensation Andrew Pryor, and they did…for one half. In fact it seemed that none of the Tigers could hit a shot in the first half of the National semi-final game, shooting 25% as a team, with Pryor going 0-8. This led to a 31-20 deficit at halftime. As expected, the Tigers shot better in the second half, but so did the Blazers. Pryor scored all of his 20 points in the second half as the Tigers shot 50% from the field, closing in to a 53-50 margin with 7 minutes to go, but they couldn’t get over the hump. Paul Muns of CMU hit consecutive 3’s to push the lead back to 9, which eventually led to an 81-69 defeat of the Tigers. The Blazers were led by Muns who had 24 points, and were helped tremendously by their center, Steve Bernjak, who had 14 points and 14 rebounds. The Tigers were led by Andrew Pryor, who recorded his second double-double with 20 and 13, while Freshman Tim Likins finished with 14 points, and 10 rebounds. Final Score 81-69.

#3 Champion Baptist College vs. #8 Free Will Baptist Bible College (Nashville, TN)
We’re #3
The Tigers beat the Flames in the consolation game, 78-72, to capture 3rd place in the nation for the ACCA (Association of Christian College Athletics) D2. This was a back and forth game with both teams shooting nearly 50% from the field for the game, and it wasn’t necessarily bad defense as it was a slow, methodical game. Both teams had a well-rounded attack plan, as the Flames had four players in double figures, while the Tigers had five players in double figures. But the difference was on the boards, as the Tigers out-rebounded the Flames, 40-28, and scoring 13 second chance points; all this despite losing their post player, Jake Weido, who was limited to 10 minutes after twisting an ankle during the semi-final. Although Andrew Pryor only scored 11 points, brothers Marc and Tim Likins once again stepped up, scoring 13 & 15 respectively, and sophomore Damon Grego was big with 11 points and 11 rebounds, five of them on the offensive end, but the story was point guard Mark Harper, who finished with 26 points, and 9 boards. Final Score 78-72.

In just their 3rd year as a school and program, the Tigers were well represented in the ACCA. Tiger players received the following awards:
2007-2008 Academic All-Americans: Marc Likins, Jake Weido, Ryan Smith
2007-2008 2nd Team All-American: Jake Weido, Andrew Pryor
2007-2008 ACCA All Tourney Team: Andrew Pryor