Central Christian College of the Bible head men's basketball coach Jack Defreitas on Monday announced the signing of Anthony Johnson, Jr., for the 2019-20 season. 

Johnson, a 6-3 small forward from Itasca Community College in Grand Rapids, Minn., just completed his sophomore season for the Vikings. At Itasca, Johnson averaged 9.4 points and 4.8 rebounds per game, while shooting 32 percent from behind the arc.

The Vikings finished 14-13 overall and 9-3 in Minnesota Athletic Conference play during the 2018-19 season. A 2015 graduate of Raleigh Egypt High School in Memphis, Tenn., the three-year letterman averaged 10 points and five rebounds during his senior season. 

"Anthony is very athletic and can get to the rim, but he is also a good shooter," Defreitas said. "We're adding another player that is a little older and has two seasons of college basketball under his belt. Anthony and his brothers are close-knit and it is great that they will get to go to school and play together."

Anthony is the oldest of a trio of Johnson brothers who have all committed to CCCB. He joins brothers Andrew and Andre, who were also announced on Monday as members of the Saints' 2019 recruiting class.

While at CCCB, Johnson plans to pursue an Bachelor of Science in Sport Management.

Central Christian College of the Bible head men's basketball coach Jack Defreitas on Monday announced the signing of Andre Johnson for the 2019-20 season. 

Johnson, a 6-1 small forward from Raleigh Egypt High School in Memphis, Tenn., is currently a senior and will graduate in May. At Raleigh Egypt, Johnson averaged 10 points, four assists and three rebounds per game. The Pharaohs finished 24-7 and spent much of the 2018-19 season in the Class AA top ten rankings.  

"Andre is extremely athletic and can be a really good defender," Defreitas said. "Andre will make an immediate impact for us and we're excited to have him. I know he's also excited to be able to play with his two older brothers."

Andre is the youngest of a trio of Johnson brothers who have all committed to CCCB. He joins brothers Andrew and Anthony, who were also announced on Monday as members of the Saints' 2019 recruiting class.

While at CCCB, Johnson plans to pursue an Bachelor of Science in Sport Management.

Central Christian College of the Bible head men's basketball coach Jack Defreitas on Monday announced the signing of Andrew Johnson for the 2019-20 season. 

Johnson, a 6-3 small forward from Itasca Community College in Grand Rapids, Minn., just completed his sophomore season for the Vikings. At Itasca, Johnson started in all 27 games this past season, averaging 9.8 points on 47 percent shooting to go along with 5.3 rebounds per game.

The Vikings finished 14-13 overall and 9-3 in Minnesota Athletic Conference play during the 2018-19 season. A 2016 graduate of Raleigh Egypt High School in Memphis, Tenn., Johnson averaged 10 points and eight rebounds in his senior season. 

"Andrew gives us an immediate physical presence on defense," Defreitas said. "We're excited to add someone who has two seasons of college basketball under his belt. Andrew comes from a close-knit family and he is excited to get to play with his brothers."

Andrew is part of a trio of Johnson brothers who have all committed to CCCB. He joins brothers Andre and Anthony, who were also announced on Monday as members of the Saints' 2019 recruiting class.

While at CCCB, Johnson plans to pursue an Associate of Professional Studies while also earning a Bachelor of Science in Teacher Preparation from one of CCCB's partner institutions, Hope International University.

Central Christian College of the Bible head men's basketball coach Jack Defreitas on Tuesday announced the signing of Titus Wagner for the 2019-20 season. 

Wagner, a 6-0 shooting guard from Trinity Christian Academy in Springfield, Mo., is currently a senior and will graduate in May. The three-year starter for the Eagles averaged 20 points, 7.6 assists, 5.4 rebounds, and 3.7 steals per game this past season.

The Eagles finished 14-4 during the 2018-19 season and were 46-10 over the past three years.

"Titus is a good shooter, but comes from a small program where has gotten the chance the do a little bit of everything," Defreitas said. "Titus is a great fit for our institution and program, and we are excited to have him joining us."

While at CCCB, Wagner plans to pursue an Bachelor of Science in Sport Management.

Central Christian College of the Bible head men's basketball coach Jack Defreitas on Monday announced the signing of Gabriel Rivera for the 2019-20 season. 

Rivera, a 6-2 small forward from Weslaco East High School in Weslaco, Texas, is currently a senior and will graduate in May. The three-year starter for the Wildcats averaged 18.6 points, 7.8 rebounds, 6.6 assists and 3.1 steals per game as a senior.

Rivera was a two-time All-District 31-6A selection and was recently named as a participant to the Rio Grande Valley Basketball Coaches Association All-Star game. 

"Gabriel plays tough and is an all-around great player," Defreitas said. "The two areas that we really need to improve are defense and rebounding. Gabriel helps us in both of those areas, and he can score the ball also. He comes from a great family and will be a great addition to our locker room."

While at CCCB, Rivera plans to pursue an Bachelor of Religious Studies and a dual-enrollment degree in Occupational Therapy from a partner institution.

The Saints started strong, but couldn't overcome a 14-0 run midway through the first half as top-ranked Randall University topped Central Christian College of the Bible, 84-66, in the quarterfinals of Southwest Regional Tournament play on Thursday.

Eighth-seeded Central Christian, whose season came to an end with a record of 13-15, traded baskets with the top seed for the first four-and-a-half minutes. Sitting at a 14-14 tie, however, Randall (15-13) used a 14-0 spurt to take a 28-14 lead with 10:15 left in the half.

Randall went on to lead by as many as 23 in the first half and led 53-32 at halftime.

Central Christian made a slight push in the first three minutes of the second half to narrow the gap to 55-40, but their 22 offensive rebounds allowed were too much to overcome against the defending three-time national champions.

Kedron Rollings (Hayti, Mo./Hayti) led the Saints with 18 points after going 4-for-8 from 3-point range. Trey Black (Choctaw, Okla./Choctaw) added 12 points and Rodrigo Nunez (Rio Grande City, Texas/Early College) had 11 points. 

Central Christian entered the game averaging 90 points per game, but were held 24 points below that average. After making 50 3-pointers in their three games at the Midwest Christian College Conference Tournament last week, they went 7-for-24 on Thursday.

Malik Barnett scored 22 points and Kashus Lyons grabbed 15 rebounds to lead Randall.

On Friday, Central Christian's Black was announced as an honorable mention selection for a stacked All-Southwest Region team. Black finished his freshman campaign as the Saints' leading scorer, averaging 15.9 points per game. The Oklahoma native shot 48 percent from the field, 41 percent from behind the arc, and grabbed 4.8 rebounds per game.

Fellow freshman Caleif Gregg (Independence, Mo./Truman) was just behind with a 15.6 points per game average. He made 76 3-pointers at a 46 percent clip and shot 84 percent at the free throw line.

Nunez, who joined the team as a true freshman in time for the Saints' game at Columbia College on Dec. 31, averaged 13.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, shot 60 percent from the field, and averaged 2.1 blocks per contest.

Rollings, finished his sophomore season averaging 12.0 points, while junior Josh Crawford (St. Louis, Mo./Parkway Central/Missouri Baptist) averaged 10.2 points, 6.1 rebounds and 5.0 assists per contest.

It was also the final game for senior Cameron Brooks (Nicholasville, Ky./West Jessamine), who finished his career with 711 points scored, 257 assists, 113 steals, and 101 made 3-pointers. He leaves as the winningest men's basketball player in CCCB history with 58 wins.

Brooks was a part of the first men's basketball team in school history to earn a trip to the NCCAA DII National Tournament in 2016. He was also a part of men's basketball's first MCCC regular season title a year ago.

As a team, the Saints currently rank in the top 5 in the NCCAA Division II in many offensive categories, including first in 3-point field goal percentage (39 percent) for the second straight year.

Randall went on to top fourth-seeded Manhattan Christian, 90-74, on Friday in the semifinals. Randall takes on fifth-ranked and second-seeded Arlington Baptist University today at 3:30 p.m. in the championship.

Central Christian College of the Bible put its offensive firepower on full display for the third straight day as it hit 11 first-half 3-pointers on its way to a 94-69 victory over Calvary University in the third place game of the Midwest Christian College Conference Tournament on Saturday.

The fifth-seeded Saints (13-14) trailed 17-14 after the Warriors' Ben Jones nailed a 3-pointer with 11:21 remaining in the first half. Capped by back-to-back 3-pointers from Cameron Brooks, Central Christian answered with an 18-0 run in three-and-a-half minutes of play to take a 32-17 lead against the tournament's second seed.

The Saints would go on to extend the lead to 21 a couple of times in the first half, including a 51-30 lead at the break, and cruised to their second straight third-place finish in the tournament.

Trey Black, who was announced as a first team all-conference selection the night before, scored 21 points to lead Central Christian. Josh Crawford was the Saints' other all-conference selection as an honorable mention.

Cameron Brooks scored 14 points on 3-for-4 shooting from behind the arc, while Caleif Gregg scored 13 points. Jaime Rodriguez chipped in another 12 points to go along with four steals, followed by Caleb Kendrick with 11 points.

Central Christian fought back from a 15-point deficit to force overtime in a 106-99 win over fourth seed Barclay College on Thursday in the quarterfinals. On Friday, they lost to top seed Ozark Christian, 103-95, in the semifinals after clawing their way back from a 22-point deficit.

The Saints started their comeback on Friday in the final 1:34 of the first half using an 11-0 run that culminated with an off-balance 3-pointer by Black right before the halftime buzzer to make it 56-47. They continued their run into the second half by scoring the first four points after the break, but again found themselves down 14 with 16:30 left in the game.

Another run, this time a 15-3 surge, tied the game at 68-apiece, then the Saints traded one-point leads with the Ambassadors for the next several minutes.

The Saints trailed by two with 24 seconds remaining, but two made free throws and a putback by Bryce Money on a missed free throw made it a six-point margin in a matter of one second.

Central Christian, the NCCAA Division II leader in 3-point field goal percentage at 39 percent, went 19-for-40 (48 percent) from behind the arc, outshooting their overall field goal percentage for the third straight game.

Rodriguez led the way with 22 points after going 6-for-10 from 3-point range. Black scored another 20 points, while Gregg added 16 points, Rodrigo Nunez had 15 and Kedron Rollings another 11.

Bryce Money, who was named the MCCC's Most Valuable Player prior to the game, scored 33 points to lead all scorers.

Ozark Christian went on to win in the championship game of the tournament with a 78-77 victory over third-seeded Manhattan Christian.

The Saints begin Southwest Regional Tournament play on Thursday in Arlington, Texas, when they take on second-ranked and three-time defending national champion Randall University. Game time is set for 1 p.m.

The Saints trailed for nearly all of the first 40 minutes, then made a furious late rally to force overtime and controlled the extra five minutes.

The 2019 Midwest Christian College Conference Tournament opened in thrilling fashion as fifth-seeded Central Christian College of the Bible knocked off fourth-seeded Barclay College, 106-99, in the quarterfinals on Thursday. 

Central Christian (12-13) trailed 74-62 with 5:54 remaining. A barrage of 3-pointers and two clutch free throws by Kedron Rollings with 58 seconds left allowed the Saints to tie the game for the first time since the 15:00 mark of the first half.

The Saints needed a Rollings layup with 10 seconds to go to tie it again, then forced a turnover on Barclay's final possession which sent the game to overtime.

In the extra period, Central Christian hit their next five shots, including 3-for-3 from behind the arc, to take full control. In the final 5:54 of regulation and the five minutes of overtime, the Saints outscored the Bears, 44-25.

Led by Trey Black with 18 points and nine rebounds, the Saints finished the night with six players scoring in double figures. Rollings scored 17 points after going 11-for-14 from the free throws line.

Caleb Kendrick added 15 points, followed by Caleif Gregg with 12, Jaime Rodriguez with 11 and Rodrigo Nunez with 10. Josh Crawford led the Saints in rebounds with 10.

Central Christian went 17-for-37 (46 percent) from 3-point range and shot 43 percent overall.

Barclay (9-16) also had six players reach double figures, led by Tre Conley's game-high 25 points.

The Saints advance to the semifinals to take on top seed Ozark Christian College on Friday at 3 p.m. Central Christian defeated Ozark Christian, 94-87, on Jan. 10, but lost on a buzzer-beater to the Ambassadors, 92-91, on Feb. 2.

A night after scoring a school-record number of points, the Saints had to grind for their second win on the road trip.

Central Christian College of the Bible outscored Emmaus Bible College 8-1 in the final 2:15 of regulation to hang on for an 86-76 victory in Midwest Christian College Conference play on Saturday in the final game of the regular season.

The game was back-and-forth in the early going until Central Christian (11-13, 3-3 MCCC) used an 8-0 spurt midway through the first half to take a 24-13 lead with 9:22 left to play. They went on to lead by as many as 17, but held a 46-35 advantage at the break.

Emmaus Bible (2-21, 1-5 MCCC) got as close as one on several occasions in the second half, but never regained the lead.

The Saints shot an impressive 13-for-23 (57 percent) from behind the 3-point line and 47 percent from the field. They had 17 assists and just seven turnovers, while finishing with 11 steals.

Caleif Gregg and Trey Black both hit three 3s and scored 16 points each to lead the way. Kedron Rollings added 13 points, while Rodrigo Nunez scored 12 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Caleb Kendrick came off the bench to score 12 points.

Stevie Horan led the Eagles with 17 points and 15 rebounds.

On Friday evening, Central Christian scored 75 points in the first half of their way to a 123-81 win over Faith Baptist Bible College. The 123 points bested the 121 scored against Calvary Bible College on January 12, 2016.

Four Saints scored 20 or more points, led by Gregg's game-high 26. Black finished with 22 points, followed by Josh Crawford with 21 and Nunez with 20.

Central Christian, who led 75-42 at halftime, went 12-for-24 from behind the arc and shot 57 percent from the field.

The Saints now turn their attention to the MCCC Tournament, which begins on Thursday at Calvary University in Kansas City. The bracket and pairings for the tournament will be released on Sunday.

The Saints were able to shake an abysmal start and turn it into perhaps their best team performance of the season.

After staring at a 14-0 deficit just four minutes into play, it was the bench who ignited a fire that resulted in Central Christian College of the Bible's 100-68 win over Calvary University on Tuesday in Midwest Christian College Conference play inside the Ferneau Center.

After a quick lineup change, Central Christian (9-11, 2-2 MCCC) closed the gap to 19-12 at the 13:37 mark, then tied the game at 21-apiece midway through the first half using what eventually became a 21-7 run.

The Saints were firing on all cylinders from there on out as they went on runs of 48-25 to close out the last 16 minutes of the first half, and outscored the Warriors, 52-29, after the break.

Led by Trey Black's 23 points and nine rebounds, five Saints reached double figures. Caleif Gregg, Gabriel Martinez and Jaime Rodriguez each scored 14 points, while Josh Crawford scored 10 points and dished out 11 assists to just one turnover.

It was the first conference loss for Calvary (7-9, 3-1 MCCC), who was led by Zeb Green with 14 points and seven rebounds.

Central Christian shot 49 percent from the field and 41 percent (15-for-37) from behind the arc. They finished with 26 assists on 11 turnovers, forced Calvary into 26 turnovers, and outrebounded the Warriors, 38-35.

The Saints have a day off before hosting eighth-ranked Arlington Baptist University in a Southwest Region matchup on Thursday at 7 p.m.