Community Christian Boys Basketball: Norman Area Driven Team of the Month – sponsored by Landers Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram

Written by Michael Kinney

As the regular season nears an end, the Community Christian boys basketball team may be hitting its stride. From Dec. 14 through Jan. 30, the Royals won 12 of their 15 games.

“We started off 0 and 3, had some pretty tough competition,” CCS coach Matt Cox said. “Then we won 10 straight and then lost another three straight, and now won two. It’s a little up and down; we’re just trying to find some consistency and keep pushing forward.”

When the Royals are playing at their best, there are certain aspects of the team that stand out to the coaching staff. They were particularly evident during the 10 game win streak that includes victories over Noble (5A), Sulphur (4A) and Lexington (3A).

“It’s usually just when they are giving great effort and our defense is working, which obviously helps out our offense and they move the ball well,” Cox said. “Sometimes it can stick and it doesn’t look so good, and then other times they really get the ball moving. I would say that ball movement on offense, and that’s really… just focusing in on the defensive end are the two things that really make us go.”

However, Cox can also spot when his team has lost focus and are not playing to the level he knows they can.

“I think it’s usually with the ball movement. We sometimes get in a rush and try to take a quick shot instead of looking for the best shot possible,” Cox said. “And every now and then, sometimes just lose focus at the defensive end and lose our guys. If we’re giving good effort, we’re a pretty good squad. We can get in those lulls where sometimes we don’t seem as interested in it as others. So it’s a continuous process that we’re still working through.”

When those times do pop up, Cox relies on a deep, experienced group of boys to help get the team back to form.

“We have a junior named Heath Abrahamsen,” Cox said. “We put a lot on his shoulders and he does a great job for us at point guard. And Alex Baker is a shooting guard for us; senior. Grant Hawkins is a small forward, power forward, stretch forward; he can shoot the ball, distributes it well. It seems like we have a different guy leading us and scoring here every night, so that’s good to know that we’ve got a team that you could just keep going. We got some energy guys that come in off the bench, and Jackson Bush and Wagner Rushing really help us out there. Hobie Horn rounds out our starting five, and he’s a physical presence and just does a good job there. Just about any of those guys.”

If the Royals can get back on another long run of victories, CCS may find itself in a place it hasn’t been in a long time.

“It’s been awhile since Community Christian has made it out of even the regional-type play, so we’re just really pushing to get a good spot in the districts and to go play well there and to get to regionals and push through,” Cox said. “And go all along, just kind of then to get to area, and then let’s see what happens. We think if we play well we can definitely make that push.”