WHAC CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW: Men's Basketball set to compete in the WHAC Championship on Tuesday

(Rochester Hills, MI) - The Rochester Christian men's basketball team is heading to the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) Championship game on Tuesday, March 3, when they head to Livonia, Michigan, to take on the Madonna Crusaders. 

GAME INFORMATION

#3 Rochester Christian Warriors vs #1 Madonna

March 3 | 7 PM | Alliance Catholic Credit Union Arena | Livonia, MI

Live Video | Live Stats

ABOUT THE CRUSADERS

The Crusaders are led by Head Coach Noel Emenhiser, who is in his 17th season and has accumulated an overall record of 309-210. 

Several Crusaders lead the offense with double-digit point figures with Ahmoni Weston and Joey Liedel scoring 18.6 and 18.2 points per game, respectively, which is fifth and seventh in the WHAC. Ahmoni Weston and Mario Johnson are third and sixth in the WHAC this season in assists as they average 4.7 and 3.9 per game. 

DeAntwan Randall is the top rebounder on the team, pulling down 9.1 rebounds a game, which is third in the WHAC, while Mario Johnson and Koby Christopher each averaging 4.7 rebounds a game. Ahmoni Weston is fourth in the WHAC at 1.7 steals per game.

MADONNAS ROAD TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP

Madonna earned the top seed in this year's WHAC Tournament for the second year in a row after going 18-4 in conference play and 23-7 overall this season. 

After starting the season with an 8-4 record, Madonna won 11 of their next 12 games before falling to Indiana Tech and winning their final two games of the regular season. 

The Crusaders began the WHAC Tournament with a matchup against the eighth-seeded Aquinas Saints and won 95-85. Ahmani Weston and DeAntwan led the Crusaders in the win with 25 and 24 points, respectively. The team would shoot 62.3% from the floor in the game. 

Their most recent game, against Lourdes in the WHAC Semifinals, Madonna had to make a second-half comeback to earn an 84-79 win over the Gray Wolves. DeAntwan Randall led the Crusaders with 28 points, with 16 of them coming in the second half.

ABOUT THE RCU WARRIORS

The Warriors are led by 15-year Head Coach Dr. Klint Pleasant, who has compiled a record of 327-115 at RCU. 

Five different Warriors tally double figures in points, with Tymias Williams leading the team with 18.7 points per game (5th-most in the WHAC). James Fisher (13.3), Linden Holder (11.9), Darnell Turner Jr. (11.9), and Tyler Allen (11.4) all average in double figures as well. Fisher leads the WHAC in field goal percentage at 68.1%, while Linden Holder is tied for third in the conference, averaging 4.7 assists per contest.

Tymias Williams and James Fisher lead the rebounding effort this season, pulling down 7.9 (4th in the WHAC) and 6.9 (7th in the WHAC) rebounds, respectively. Tymias Williams is top in the WHAC this season, averaging 2.5 steals per game, and is fifth in blocks per game, averaging 1.4. 

ROCHESTER CHRISTIANS ROAD TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP

Rochester Christian earned their way to the WHAC Championship with a 22-8 overall record and was the third seed in the WHAC Tournament with a conference record of 15-7. 

The Warriors started the season with an overtime win on Homecoming over Kentucky Christian, to go 2-1 in overtime games this season. RCU battled through the season and would win nine of the final 10 games of their season. 

RCU took on the Cleary Cougars in the first round of the WHAC Tournament, earning an 85-76 win. Tymias Williams and Tyler Allen led the scoring attack with 18 points each, with Darnell Turner Jr. scoring 17 and James Fisher scoring 12. 

The WHAC Semifinal matchup saw a battle of the Warriors, with RCU traveling to Indiana Tech. RCU led for the entire game, but saw a 12-point margin dwindle down over the final 12 minutes, but would eventually come away with the 75-73 win. All five RCU starters scored in double-figures with James Fisher leading the way with 19 points.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT (PREVIOUS MATCHUPS)

The Crusaders earned wins in both of the regular-season matchups, but RCU holds the all-time series, dating back to 1993, while also holding the series record at 13-12 since the Warriors joined the NAIA back in 2011. 

The first game back in January saw Madonna earn an 88-56 win, with the Crusaders leading in both halves. Ahmoni Weston and Joey Liedel led the game in points with 22 and 21, respectively. Tymias Williams led the Warriors with 13 points. 

The second matchup was just nine days ago on the final day of the regular season with MU halting a late comeback attempt by the Warriors, with an 81-69 win. Joey Liedel and Ahmoni Weston once again paced the Crusaders' offense, scoring 28 and 25 points, respectively. Tymias Williams scored 19 points to lead RCU.

STAT COMPARISON

WHAC TOURNAMENT

The top 8 teams in the regular-season standings qualify

Higher seeds host in all rounds

Quarterfinals - Thursday, February 26

G1    #1 Madonna def. #8 Aquinas, 95-85

G2    #4 Lourdes def. #5 Lawrence Tech, 70-60

G3    #3 Rochester Christian def. #6 Cleary, 85-76

G4    #2 Indiana Tech def. #7 Cornerstone, 97-85

Semifinals. Saturday, February 28

G5    #1 Madonna def. #4 Lourdes, 84-79 | Box Score

G6    #3 Rochester Christian def. #2 Indiana Tech, 75-73 | Box Score

Championship - Tuesday, March 3

G7    #1 Madonna vs. #3 Rochester Christian - 7 p.m.

WHAC HONORS