Upcoming tournament features No. 2 team in the nation

11-20-06
 

The highest-ranked men’s basketball team to visit the LCSC Activity Center will happen this week during the four-team Cannon’s Building Material Center Tournament. Oklahoma City, which finished second in last year’s NAIA national tournament, is ranked No. 2 in the current NAIA poll.

The Stars will take on Montana State-Northern Friday at 6 p.m., followed by LCSC and Corban College of Salem, Ore., at 8 p.m. In the pre-determined format so that the two Frontier Conference schools won’t face each other, MSU-Northern will meet Corban at 6 p.m. on Saturday, followed by LCSC and Oklahoma City at 8 p.m.

The Stars stand at 5-0 overall and will play host to Sterling of Kansas on Tuesday night before departing for the Lewiston tournament. Last season, the Stars overcame a 6-5 start with a 14-game win streak and eventually finished 29-8 under first-year coach Ray Harper and a spot in the title game, the program’s fifth appearance. OCU won national titles in 1991, ’92, ’94 and ’96.

 Harper coached at Kentucky-Wesleyan prior to OCU and led the team to six consecutive appearances in the NCAA Division II national championship game. During his career, he record five consecutive 30-plus win seasons during 1998-2002 and reached 200 victories in just 224 games.

LCSC brings a 2-2 record into the contest, while Corban stands 1-4 on the season with a game on Tuesday against Linfield College prior to the tournament. Montana State-Northern is 3-4 overall.

The Warriors, who are coming off an 85-70 exhibition loss, are led in scoring by Mike Gordy. He’s averaging 19.3 points per game, while Teran Lee is averaging 11.0. Gordy also tops the team in rebounding at 5.5 per outing.