CCCB sophomore Jackson King scored 28 points in two games over the weekend as the Saints went 1-1 in Midwest Christian College Conference play.
Mens Basketball
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Saints win third straight before falling to No. 2 Thunder to cap weekend series

Moberly, Mo.

The Central Christian men's basketball team hit the century mark and won for the third straight time, then fell to the second-ranked team in NCCAA Division II the following day in a split of weekend games for the Saints at the Ferneau Center.

Central Christian (7-16, 4-6 MCCC) used a 27-7 run late in the game to pull away to a 105-78 victory over Barclay College on Friday. The Saints led most of the contest, but by no more than seven before going to halftime with a 41-39 advantage.

Barclay took a 48-45 lead two-and-a-half minutes into the second half, but Central Christian countered with a 22-9 spurt to regain control. Up six with 10:58 remaining, the Saints raced off and made a 20-point swing in just six minutes to claim a 94-68 lead, their largest of the night, and seal their third straight win.

Quincy James, Jr., and Ayris Abdelnassar both scored 21 points apiece to lead five players in the double figures for the Saints. James went 10-for-13 from the field, while Abdelnassar recorded seven assists. Jackson King scored 14 points, followed by Sam Adams with13 points and Knolan Hunter another 10.

Central Christian shot 64 percent from the field, dished out 21 assists, and outrebounded the Bears, 45-24.

On Saturday, the Saints had a rough day shooting as they fell, 78-57, to No. 2 Manhattan Christian College.

Despite going only 2-for-18 (11 percent)  from behind the arc and shooting just 28 percent overall in the first half, Central Christian faced a reasonable 39-26 deficit at the half.

The Saints' shooting improved slightly in the second half, but not enough to make a serious threat. Manhattan Christian went up by as many as 21 midway through the second half before CCCB used a mini run to make it a 68-53 game with 5:05 remaining. The Thunder countered with a 9-0 spurt of their own to seal the game.

Central Christian ended the night with a 30 percent clip overall and 24 percent (8-for-34) from 3-point range. Just one day after dominating the glass against Barclay, the Saints were outrebounded by the Thunder, 56-38.

Jackson King and Isaiah Gilmore both sored 14 points each to lead CCCB. James, Jr., added 13 points, while Abdelnassar added nine points and eight rebounds.

The Saints host one more set of doubleheaders with the women this weekend when Faith Baptist Bible College and Emmaus Bible College come to town to close out the regular season.