Shawn Schenk called it “maybe the best high school atmosphere I have been a part of.”

The Crossings Christian boys’ basketball coach has certainly seen his share of big crowds and raucous environments. But with a top-ranked rival arriving at his team’s home gymnasium, Schenk was anxious to see how his guys would respond.

Respond they did.

“That was fun, that was awesome,” Schenk said after the Class 5A Knights defeated Class 3A No. 1 Oklahoma Christian School, 67-56, Friday night at the Crossings Upper School gymnasium. “Packed. I may have played in front of more people, but it is a rival. People we love. I love their coach. I love their staff. Our kids know all their kids. It’s fun. It’s a good atmosphere. It’s a good rivalry. To handle their emotions in a really good way, I’m really proud of them.”

After a back and forth first quarter, Crossings (13-3) got some distance thanks to an offensive explosion from junior standout point guard Cal Furnish. Trailing 13-10, Furnish strung together 11 points during a 12-0 burst that gave the Knights the lead for good.

“Really just playing together,” Furnish said. “People were finding me in good spots.”

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Furnish finished the first half with 18 of Crossings’ 35 points as the Knights possessed a double-digit lead of 35-24 at the break. Junior Cam Parker drew the defensive assignment of trying to contain OCS senior Luke Gray, who was less than a week removed from breaking the OCS school record for career points held by former OU and NBA star Blake Griffin.

But against a Crossings defensive unit spearheaded by Parker, Gray had just 12 points after three quarters.

“It really wasn’t just me,” Parker said. “We came up with a game plan that when he comes in the post, we would bring a help guy to come double him. It was my assignment, but I don’t want to take all the credit. It was a team effort.”

After surrendering 18 first-half points to Furnish, OCS limited his offensive chances in the second half and cut the Crossings advantage to six points at 35-29. That merely opened the door for Furnish’s supporting cast to score. Sophomore Braden Buckingham drilled three 3-point baskets in the third quarter, while senior Evan Crotts added 11 total in the game as the Knights took control with a 21-10 second-half surge.

“Really just making the right play,” Furnish said. “We have got a lot of guys that can score. So when I just make the right play, we’re tough to beat.”

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Crossings led by as many as 17 points in the final frame at 56-39 before Gray scored 14 of his game-high 26 points for OCS (15-2), but the Saints got no closer than nine points.

Parker finished with nine points – including a pair of 3-pointers – and sophomore Phoenix Woodson added eight tough points for Crossings, which has now won 10 of its last 11 meetings with OCS dating back to 2017.

With a schedule that has included Edmond North, Carl Albert, Weatherford, OCS and Dale, Crossings has seemingly tussled with the top-ranked team in nearly every class. But as the calendar nears February and the postseason creeps ever so closer, a rugged schedule should only serve the Knights well.

“That’s all it does is make us better,” Parker said. “The more competition, the better. I’d rather play every No. 1 than play an easy schedule. It just makes the game more fun. Preparation is more fun. Playing the best players. I really enjoy it.”

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Big third quarter sparks OCS girls

The Oklahoma Christian School girls’ basketball team is playing its best ball at the right time of year.

“I feel like we are playing amazing,” OCS junior Ava McIntyre said after the Saints defeated Crossings Christian, 52-33, in the first game Friday night at Crossings Christian School. “I have never seen a team like this before that I have been on. This team is everything in my heart and I love all of them to death.”

OCS trailed at halftime, 24-21, but switched its defense to a 2-3 zone defense, which is designed to limit the opponent’s chances close to the basket and force it to shoot from the outside. The strategy paid off immediately as the Saints outscored Crossings, 15-3, in the third frame.

“That was our coach’s decision and it was a great decision,” McIntyre said. “We shut them down pretty quick."

McIntyre led all scorers with 20 points and also grabbed 11 rebounds. An all-conference selection last season in the Greater Metro Athletic Conference, McIntyre surpassed 1,000 career points in December.

“She’s special,” second-year OCS coach Ashley Dublin said. “She does everything for us. She can play the one through the five, she can guard the one through the five, and she can get points in a hurry. She is a key piece to us. She is a leader on the team. She excites everybody and gets the team going, so we need that. She brings that every day for us. Practice and games.”

Allison Hickey paced Crossings (7-9) with 18 points.

Ella Voskuhl contributed 13 points, while Rylee Roof added 10 for OCS (8-8), which is back to a .500 win percentage after its third victory in a row.

“I love where we are right now,” Dublin said. “Especially getting ready to go into the playoffs. We are playing our best basketball right now, so we have just got to keep playing and keep working in practice.”

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma high school basketball: Crossings downs Oklahoma Christian