The Helias Crusaders have considered the Joe Machens Great 8 Classic to be the turning point of their season.
When your team finishes on the right side of the bracket eight of the past nine seasons, that's a good thing. But Helias coach Josh Buffington wants this year's Classic, which will be held Dec. 28-30 at Fleming Fieldhouse, to be a turning point for another reason.
"Our guys are having trouble, right now, maintaining focus in weeks where we have to practice more than a couple of times," Buffington said. "From that standpoint, it's been a challenge.
"Hopefully we can get there come early February, or it's going to be tough to finish the season the way we want to."
Helias (3-0), ranked No. 4 in Class 4, hasn't had any trouble putting up points while averaging 76.3 per game. But the points haven't come in the way Buffington desires, which is a result of a strong defense that quickly turns into offense.
Having nine days of practice since Dec. 5 following an 81-62 win against Camdenton will hopefully do the trick.
"From an execution standpoint, we've needed this practice time," Buffington said. "We needed those first three games to see where we're at, and they came in a short span of five days."
In this year's Great 8 Classic, Helias will face an opponent it has seen before in the first round.
Owasso (Okla.) will make its second appearance in the Classic. The Rams lost to the Crusaders 59-51 in their 2015 opener, then bounced back with two wins to claim fifth place.
"Their point guard was an absolute stud," Buffington said. "When they got going downhill, it was really tough to stay in front of him. They could score on you in a variety of different ways in the half-court."
Helias had a late start to its season, which began Dec. 1. Owasso's start was even later.
The Rams' season opener didn't fall until Dec. 5, but for good reason. Owasso played for the Oklahoma Class 6A-1 state championship Dec. 1, a game the Rams won 21-14 for their first football state championship since 1974.
Buffington has dealt with the transition of a lengthy football season that carries over into basketball season. Helias reached the football state title game in four of his first six seasons, leaving some players very little time to prepare for basketball season.
"It takes a little while (to get things going) at times when you haven't been on the court, unless you're in the gym a lot on your own to knock the rust off," Buffington said. "Even if you are in the gym on your own, it's tough to simulate game situation."
Owasso (1-1) started the season with a 72-46 win against Bixby, but the Rams suffered their first loss Tuesday by a score of 72-63 to Broken Arrow, the team that knocked them out of the postseason last year.
Helias may return four starters this season, but Owasso returns all five. However, only three of them played in the season opener. The other two played football.
One of those two, Courtre Alexander, scored a game-high 21 points in Tuesday's loss.
Other Rams capable of scoring in double figures are Hayden Peterson, Seth Pomeroy and Jake Thompson. The fifth returner, Josh Proctor, has yet to step on the floor.
"We know the type of tradition Owasso's going to bring," Buffington said. "A lot of athleticism, always very well-coached, prepared and very deep."
Helias enters with a balanced attack as well. In the Crusaders' 87-66 win earlier this month at the Norm Stewart Classic in Columbia, six players scored in double figures.
Nathan Bax, a 6-foot-5 senior forward, lead the Crusaders with 16.0 points per game. Returning all-state point guard Landon Harrison has 15.0 points per game to go with a surprising 9.0 rebounds per game. Nick Brandt, a 5-10 junior guard, is averaging 14.3 points.
"It can definitely be beneficial to us down the stretch," Buffington said of his team's depth. "As long as everybody understands when you play that many guys, you're not going to have anyone average 25.
"If you're in for a 3- or 4-minute span, you'd better give us everything you have."
Helias will face Owasso at 5:30 p.m., the second of four games Dec. 28.
The Classic will be loaded with talent again - including out-of-state teams Hyde Park (Ill.), Upper Arlington (Ohio) and Craigmont (Tenn.) - but Buffington isn't looking beyond Owasso.
"You look at this tournament and you just can't look ahead," Buffington said. "Our goal is to always advance to the right. We're just going to have to take it four minutes at a time."