OCC women in midst of breakout season
Jan. 21—Ozark Christian College women's basketball coach Kyle Wicklund was fairly confident his team was built to succeed prior to the start of the season.
He just didn't anticipate this much success.
"It's been many years since the women's program at Ozark has been able to make a run like this," Wicklund said. "I knew we had the ability and potential to have a great year. But if you'd asked me at the beginning of the year if we'd be at this point right now, I probably would have told you no. It's a pure testament to the girls' willingness to battle and compete every single day, and it's been quite a fun ride."
The Ambassadors are in the midst of one of their best starts to a season in program history. Ranked No. 4 in the National Christian College Athletic Association Division II poll, OCC (12-2) is riding a 12-game win streak that dates back to the middle of November.
The win count alone doesn't reveal just how dominant the streak had been for the Ambassadors either. In the last 12 games, OCC has outscored its opponents by an average of 27.1 points per game.
Ozark has proved to be among the top two-way teams in the league, ranking first nationally in scoring defense (51.5 points allowed per game) and sixth in scoring offense (71.6 PPG).
The reason behind the Ambassadors' recent dominance on the court?
"I think it's a little bit of a couple things," Wicklund said. "First, I think it's these girls' willingness to, like I said before, just go to battle every single day and compete. We were able to add a few more pieces to our team since last season, which obviously helps as well.
And then I think it's partially due to COVID. We had cancellations and couldn't start our season as early last year. So I think the girls just aren't taking things for granted. Every day they're going out and honestly playing like it's their last game."
A pandemic-riddled 2020-21 season saw OCC finish 17-15 after going 0-2 at the NCCAA National Tournament at OCC. This year, however, the Ambassadors are hungry for much more.
"Big picture, we want to compete for a national championship," Wicklund said. "I think every team wants that, of course. But I think we have the pieces this year to make it happen."
The OCC offense features a balanced attack with six players averaging at least nine points per game. Darian Carr leads the team with 12.8 PPG and is followed by Makenzie Purinton (12.4), Daroam Carr (12.0), Kamryn Gentry (11.2), Lydia Pipins (9.2) and Emary Williams (9.0).
Kamryn Gentry ranks first in the nation in total rebounds (209) while ranking second in field goal percentage (59.8%) and blocked shots (34). Purinton ranks third in field goal percentage (.558) and 18th in steals (27), and Pipins and Carr rank 11th and 13th, respectively, with 28 and 26 3-pointers.
"We're only as good as our weakest player, and if our weakest player is pushing our best, then we're going to be in great shape and have a lot of success," Wicklund said. "That's how it's been for us this season. Everyone is a contributor in their own way."
OCC, coming off a 65-44 win over Ecclesia College on Tuesday, returns to play on Friday when it plays host to Central Christian College of the Bible at 5 p.m. The Ambassadors will also have a home game against Dallas Christian College at 1 p.m. Saturday.
Contact Jared Porter on Twitter at @JaredRyanPorter.
