The College of the Ozarks Bobcats are set to return home after being on the road for over a month. Nine straight road games have kept the Bobcats away from the friendly confines of Keeter Gymnasium, but this Friday, they will get to carry their two-game win streak back to their home court. The Bobcats have won two straight and three of their last five and will be looking to continue that streak against Kansas Christian College at 5 PM on Friday, December 8.

C of O vs Hannibal-LaGrange University
The Bobcats started their win streak by traveling to Hannibal-LaGrange University to face the Trojans. The Cats took the first meeting between the two teams on Homecoming Saturday, 67-64, and they were looking for a repeat performance. The Trojans were coming off a recent win against Culver-Stockton College, who the Bobcats had lost to a couple of weeks earlier, so they knew they would have their hands full.

The game got off to a slow start for both teams as neither would put points on the board for the first 2:36. Kyle Flavin drained a three to break the silence and get the Bobcat offense started, but another dry spell would ensue. The Trojans finally got on the board at the 16:22 mark and the battle was on. HLGU took the lead with a basket and a three and the Bobcats needed to respond. Garrett Snyder accepted the challenge and put four straight points on the board, and Brady Reynolds tied it with a basket of his own. The Trojans held off the Bobcat Challenges and both teams relied on their defense to keep the game close. A Seth Soden three with 9:00 left in the half gave the Bobcats a 14-13 lead, and a Tyler Moore free throw bumped the score to 15-13. HLGU hit a three to regain the lead, but a Tyler Moore layup gave it right back to the Cats.  Tanner Rogers jumped into the scoring column with a three at the 5:36 mark and the Bobcats had their biggest lead. The Trojans were determined to stay close and battled for back-to-back buckets to even the score, 20-20. Rogers connected on a pair of free throws to close out the Bobcat scoring in the half, but the Trojans responded with a three and a layup to take a 25-22 advantage into the intermission.

While neither team scorched the nets in the first half, the defense for both teams made it anybody’s game in the final 20 minutes of play. The Trojans put the first points of the second half on the board and they were looking to build a lead. The Bobcats had different plans however, and Garrett Snyder opened the Bobcat scoring to keep the Trojans within striking distance. The teams traded points with Caleb Faulkner and Jay Baxter providing the offense for the Bobcats. With four minutes gone in the half, the Trojans still held their four-point advantage, 34-30. Baskets by Faulkner, Reynolds, and Soden cut the gap to 38-37 before the Trojans sank a pair of free throws to rebuild a small cushion. With 11:49 remaining, a Seth Soden three splashed home and the Bobcats evened the score, 40-40. HLGU answered with a basket, but Kyle Flavin drained a three of his own to give the Cats a 43-42 lead. Hannibal called a timeout and promptly scored out of the huddle to regain the upper hand. Trading baskets again, the Bobcats were unable to regain the lead until a Brady Reynolds layup found the bottom of the net with 7:46 left to play. A Flavin Layup increased the Bobcat lead to 51-48 and the Trojans took another timeout. The results were not the same after this break in the action and the Bobcats answered the challenges of the home team. Flavin, Reynolds, and Snyder added buckets to maintain the lead and as time ticked off the clock, the Bobcats were applying pressure to the Trojans. Matching each attempt by HLGU to gain ground, the Bobcats built a 63-56 lead on a Kyle Flavin four-point play. With under two minutes to play, Garrett Snyder connected on four free throws and Tyler Moore sank a pair as well. Kyle Flavin hit a shot from the charity stripe with :39 left to play, and the Trojans were unable to recover from the deficit. Accurate free throw shooting down the stretch iced the game and gave the Bobcats the 70-56 victory.

Garrett Snyder led the offensive attack with 17 points, and narrowly missed a double-double with nine rebounds. Kyle Flavin poured in 15 points, Seth Soden added 12, Brady Reynolds contributed eight, Caleb Faulkner chipped in six, Tyler Moore and Tanner Rogers added five each, and Jay Baxter tacked on two.   

C of O vs Haskell Indian Nations University
The next bus trip took the Bobcats to Lawerence, Kansas to take on the Indians of Haskell Indian Nations University.

The Bobcats jumped on the board on the first possession with a Garrett Snyder basket and the race was on. Haskell answered with a basket and Caleb Faulkner responded with a bucket of his own, and then a three, to keep the Bobcats on top. The Indians bounced back with a three to tie it and followed with another from long range to take their first lead. The teams traded baskets with Seth Soden, Kyle Flavin and Garrett Snyder carrying the Bobcats to a 14-14 tie. A Snyder free throw returned the lead to the Cats, but it was short-lived. HINU added a basket to regain the lead and another to bump the lead to 18-15. Jay Baxter scored to cut the gap to 18-17 and Caleb Faulkner followed an Indian basket with a deep trey to tie the score at 20. Trading baskets was the norm, with several shots coming from beyond the arc. The Indians maintained a slight advantage and the Bobcats were unable to get over the hump. Jay Baxter, Brady Reynolds, and Garrett Snyder kept the Bobcats close and with 3:24 left in the opening frame, a Snyder layup cut the deficit to 35-34. Snyder followed with a three on the next Bobcat possession and Haskell took a timeout, trailing 37-35. Flavin and Moore countered the Indian challenges, and the Bobcats took a 41-39 lead to the intermission.

Haskell came out attacking in the opening minutes of the second half and quickly offset a Brady Reynolds layup to take a 46-43 lead. With both offenses quiet for the next couple of minutes, Coach Shepherd took a timeout to regroup. Seth Soden scored from close range out of the huddle and the Bobcats were within one, 46-45. A pair of Faulkner free throws returned the lead to the Cats before a Haskell basket flipped it back to the home team with 15:19 remaining. A Kyle Flavin three gave the lead back to the Bobcats and a pair of Jay Baxter free throws bumped the advantage to 52-48. A Soden three provided some cushion, but the Indians were not ready to let up. A pair of Haskell baskets cut the Bobcat lead to 55-52 before Jay Baxter slammed one home to rebuild the cushion. A Haskell basket and a three made it 57-56 with 12:01 to play and the Bobcats still had plenty of work to do.  A quick pair of Haskell baskets returned the lead to the home team before Tyler Moore drove the lane for a bucket, Seth Soden connected from long range, and Caleb Faulkner scored in close and followed with a deep three. The Bobcats held a 67-62 advantage with 7:01 left to play and they would not look back. Garrett Snyder turned up the pressure with a basket, and a layup by Kyle Flavin forced a Haskell timeout with the Bobcat lead up to 71-62. Garrett Snyder carried the Bobcat offense over the next three minutes as he outscored the Indians 6-2 and grew the lead to 75-64. A Tyler Moore free throw added to the lead and with 2:53 left to play, the Bobcats were in control, 78-64. Neither team would score again until a pair of Caleb Faulkner free throws splashed home with :54 showing on the clock. Haskell would add one more basket, but Faulkner drained another pair of free throws to close out the scoring and solidify the 82-67 Bobcat win.

Caleb Faulkner poured in 22 points to lead the Bobcats and Garrett Snyder was right behind him with 21. Seth Soden added 11 and Jay Baxter logged a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds. Kyle Flavin chipped in nine, and Brady Reynolds and Tyler Moore each added four points in the win.

The Bobcats will look to continue their winning ways at home this Friday, December 8, at 5:00 against Kansas Christian College.