It's All About D for Eagles in Title Run
The following article appeared Monday, March 3 in the Antelope Valley Press:
PORTLAND Ore. - Two days, six teams, one champion.
A champion of character, operating on solid, text-book man-to-man style of defense while thriving off the support of one another - a perfect example of teamwork.
These were the keys to West Coast Baptist College's run to a Pacific Christian Athletic Conference tournament championship over the past weekend in Portland.
Not only coach Curt Beeson, but also everyone on the squad - from the last man on the bench to the star player - knew it would be all about defense.
Everything was about the vital seven-letter word in the Eagles' two victories, and the same way it became redundant to anyone they talked to, it was even more so to their opponents.
In two games the No. 1-seeded Eagles held both victims under 60 points, 55 for No. 5 Portland Bible and 58 in the championship game for No.2 Southwestern.
Portland Bible averaged 67.5 points in its other, while Southwestern put up 79 in its opening contest - a 21-point difference from its showing in the championship game.
Not only were the opponents point totals significantly low compared to their other tournament games, but their field goal percentage saw a drastic drop in their bouts with West Coast Baptist, which will play for a national title this week.
Portland Bible dropped an average 12% from the field and Southwestern shot 15% worse than it did in its opening game.
The Eagles and Beeson's ability to adapt to each opponent with a specific style of defense for each contest was an evident difference in both of West Coast Baptist's games and what clearly separated the Eagles from the rest of the field.
Although, each PCAC coach noted how WCBC's strength isn't just defense, but their aptness to build off of the defense to get going on the offensive end and force other teams into situations that prove to be unsuccessful.
Offensively, the Eagles did a solid job spreading the wealth around to a consistent group of five to eight players that regularly averaged anywhere from six to 15 points each a game.
"I was real pleased," Beeson said. "I thought everyone was going to come in shooting and gunning for us, and we still managed to play with poise."
WCBC will travel to Bethany, Okla., on Wednesday for the National Association of Christian College Athletics Championships. The Division-I 10-team tournament will run from Wednesday to Saturday with the Eagles' first game falling on Thursday with a bye due what should be a high seed.