Point Lookout, MO – The College of the Ozarks Basketball Bobcats opened their 2024-2025 season at the K on Saturday against the Royals of Ecclesia College.

After a traditional three-point play by the Royals, Jay Baxter opened the Bobcat scoring with a slam to get the crowd fired up, then followed with an assist to Andrew Dalton to give the Cats the 4-3 lead. After a Bobcat turnover, Caleb Faulkner drew a foul and made both free throws to keep the Cats on top. The Royals took their first timeout with 17:13 left in the first half. Jay Baxter blocked a Royals shot attempt which quickly led to an Andrew Dalton three and Caleb Faulkner followed with a three of his own to put the Bobcats up 12-5. Garrett Snyder dished out an assist to Jay Baxter, who put in an easy layup to extend the Cats run to 8-0 before the Royals scored again. Bryce Butler continued the attack with a three, and Jay Baxter put up another two points. With a Snyder layup the Cats took a commanding lead, 21-6, before the Royals took their second timeout of the half. Bryce Butler and Andrew Dalton continued to add to the lead and Brady Reynolds nailed a free throw to keep the on top with a 15-point advantage. Garrett Snyder drained a deep three, and Andrew Dalton connected from deep again to add to the Bobcat lead. After a slew of offensive rebounds by the Cats, Garrett Snyder drew a foul and knocked down both free throws to give the Cats a commanding 21-point lead. After a Royals fast break layup, DJ Quarles nailed a three, forcing another timeout as the Cats led 45-23 with 3:40 left in the half. Caleb Faulkner and Bryce Butler connected on a pair of threes, and the Cats’ defense continued to roll. After a scoreless minute, Caleb Faulkner nailed another three as the Cats had doubled the Royals’ score, 54-27. Jaiden Wilson recorded a steal and took it all the way home with a layup, ending the first half with the Cats on top 58-27.

The Cats began the second half with two consecutive DJ Quarles layups. Andrew Dalton and Garrett Snyder both recorded buckets and Jay Baxter put down a slam to extend the Cats’ run to 12-0 before the Royals would score again. Caleb Faulkner nailed a three as the Cats continued to pull away. Trailing 73-30, the Royals called their first timeout of the second half. DJ Quarles put down a three out of the huddle and followed with an assist to Garrett Snyder for a layup. After a scoreless three minutes from the Cats, Bryce Butler assisted Brady Reynolds and Kyle Flavin for a pair of buckets to extend the lead. Kyle Flavin, slammed home exclamation mark to the Cats’ dominant day. With 8:00 remaining, the Cats continued to roll with a Kyle Flavin three, a pair of Landen Campbell free throws, and a Butler layup. A Seth Soden three and a Jaiden Wilson layup inched the Cats closer to the 100-point mark. Wilson then connected on back-to-back to back threes to extend the Cats’ lead and secure the 105-51win.

The Cats had many contributors, with seven players scoring in double figures. Jay Baxter and DJ Quarles both put up 10, Garrett Snyder posted 11, and Jaiden Wilson scored 13. Caleb Faulkner (14 pts), Andrew Dalton (15 pts), and Bryce Butler (17 pts) led the charge. Butler also dished out 7 assists, and Baxter posted 11 rebounds to record a double-double. The team posted an impressive 20 offensive rebounds, as well as 7 steals and 3 blocks.

The Bobcats will host Culver Stockton College on Saturday, November 2 at 3:15 p.m. following the Lady Cats’ Volleyball match at 12:00 p.m. as part of Homecoming weekend.