It took nearly 30 minutes, but the Central Christian men's basketball team finally found their rhythm as they put an end to their four-game skid with an 83-65 victory over Spurgeon College on Tuesday evening inside the Ferneau Center.

Central Christian (9-9) used a 14-1 spurt in the final three minutes of play to pull away from the visiting Knights (3-10). Leading 69-64 with 3:38 remaining, back-to-back baskets by Andre Johnson fueled a surge that had the Saints in full control.

Johnson ended the night with a game-high 22 points, 14 coming in the second half, and 10 rebounds. Jackson King added another 14 points and 10 rebounds, while Adris Hamilton came off the bench to score 13 points. Tyce Laubinger tossed in another 12 points and grabbed six boards.

Each of the two teams had their share of the lead in the first half until the Knights used a 12-0 run to go into the locker room with a 40-33 advantage. The margin was still at seven just a couple minutes into the second half before the Saints began to chip away.

Central Christian tied the game at 49-piece with 12:35 left to play, then grabbed the lead for good on a Johnson made free throw with 10:06 remaining.

The Saints shot 49 percent from the field to their opponents' 37. They also outrebounded the Knights, 51-31.

Spurgeon was led by Brett Smith with 21 points and Jackson Holt with 13.

The CCCB men will join the women this weekend in Iowa when they take on Faith Baptist Bible College on Friday and Emmaus Bible College on Saturday in Midwest Christian College Conference play.

The Central Christian men's basketball team set the tone early and cruised to a 110-91 victory over Ozark Christian College to open MCCC play on Thursday in the Ferneau Center.

Led by Andre Johnson's 23 points and Jackson King's 22, the Saints (6-4, 1-0 MCCC) had five players reach double figures while dishing out a season-high 33 assists.

Central Christian burst out of the gates, grabbing a 16-2 lead just 5:40 into the game, then went on to lead by 31 at 47-16 with 3:51 left in the first half.

The Saints led 56-33 at halftime before Ozark Christian (4-7, 0-1 MCCC) fought to narrow the gap in the second half. The Ambassadors got as close as 14 with 11 minutes to go, but the Saints quickly regained control with a 10-3 spurt over the next two minutes.

Sam Adams and Aaron Douglas both scored 18 points each, while Quincy James, Jr. added 12 points. Andre Johnson also dished out 10 assists without committing a turnover.

Central Christian shot 61 percent from the field and 50 percent from behind the arc. They held the Ambassadors to 40 percent shooting and 25 percent from 3-point range.

Ozark Christian was led by Josiah Beckenhauer with 25 points.

The Saints will hit the road on Saturday to face Calvary University in another MCCC matchup tipping off at 8 p.m. immediately following the women's game.