The Central Christian College of the Bible men's and women's basketball teams returned home from the Midwest Christian College Conference Tournament at Calvary University with the men taking third and the women finishing fourth.

The CCCB men, seeded third, won their opening round matchup on Thursday against sixth-seeded Emmaus University, 104-74, in a game where they broke things open with a 38-13 run over the final 10 minutes. 

The Saints dropped their semifinal matchup on Friday to sixth-ranked Manhattan Christian College, 108-83, in a game where they led early and trailed by 10 at the half.

On Saturday, CCCB jumped out to a 20-3 lead against Ozark Christian College in the third place game en route to a 85-76 victory over the Ambassadors.

The Saints had two players earn All-MCCC honors. Trey Palmer and Quian Henderson were both named as first team selections, with Henderson earning the MCCC's Most Valuable Player award.

On the women's side, the No. 5 seed Saints upset No. 4 seed Emmaus University for the first time on the season with a 75-67 victory on Thursday. 

Going into the semifinal matchup on Friday with top seed Calvary, the CCCB women were responsible for two of the Warrior's three conference losses. However, Calvary led from start to finish in this one as the Saints fell, 79-49.

On Saturday, the Saints battled in a back-and-forth contest with Ozark Christian before losing, 74-64.

Two Saints earned All-MCCC honors as H.J. Fender and Claire Hall both earned spots on the team as honorable mention selections.

The CCCB men and women continue postseason play this week as the NCCAA Division II Central Regional Tournament starts on Wednesday in Manhattan, Kan. The men are seeded fourth and take on fifth-seeded Calvary in the quarterfinals on Wednesday at 4 p.m. The women are also the No. 4 seed and face No. 1 seed Ozark Christian in the semifinals on Thursday at 12 p.m.

The Central Christian College of the Bible men's and women's basketball teams start Midwest Christian College Conference Tournament play this week at Calvary University in Kansas City.

The CCCB men are the No. 3 seed after finishing third in the MCCC regular season standings with a record of 8-4 following their 82-78 victory over Barclay on Saturday. They will take on No. 6 seed Emmaus University on Thursday at 4 p.m.

The Saints sat in a three-way tie for first in the MCCC heading into the final weekend of league play, but a 85-68 loss to sixth-ranked Manhattan Christian College dropped them to third. Manhattan Christian and Faith Baptist Bible College finished tied for first with records of 9-3, but Faith Baptist won both games against the Thunder to break the tie and claim the regular season title.

The CCCB men won both of their games against Faith Baptist, but lost both times to Manhattan Christian, who became the No. 2 seed. Last Friday, the Saints were deadlocked with the Thunder at 60-apiece in Manhattan before MCC rolled off a 25-8 run to close the game.

The Saints won both games against Emmaus, winning 81-75 in Moberly and 80-72 in Dubuque, Iowa. Another Saints win on Thursday would likely create a rematch with Manhattan Christian in the semifinals on Friday at 4 p.m. A loss to Emmaus would have the CCCB men playing in the consolation semifinal at 12 p.m. on Friday.

On the women's side, the Saints are the No. 5 seed and also take on Emmaus, the No. 4 seed, on Thursday at 6 p.m.

The CCCB women finished fifth in the conference standings with a record of 5-7, while Emmaus, Manhattan Christian and Ozark Christian all tied for second place. The Saints had close losses with the Eagles on both occasions, falling 81-79 in Moberly and 69-56 in Dubuque.

A win against the Eagles this time around would have the Saints advancing to face top seed and conference champion Calvary University in the semifinals on Friday at 6 p.m. The CCCB women defeated Calvary both times this season, handing the Warriors two of their three losses. A loss on Thursday would have the Saints playing in the consolation final on Friday at 10 a.m.

2026 MCCC Basketball Tournament Schedule:

THURSDAY, FEB. 19

Game 1 – 12 PM: (MBB) #2 Manhattan  vs. #7 Barclay 

Game 2 – 2 PM: (WBB) #3 Ozark vs. #6 Faith

Game 3 – 4 PM: (MBB) #3 Central  vs. #6 Emmaus

Game 4 – 6 PM: (WBB) #4 Emmaus  vs. #5 Central

Game 5 – 8 PM: (MBB) #4 Ozark vs #5 Calvary 

FRIDAY, FEB. 20

Game 6 – 10 AM: (WBB Consolation Final) Loser of Game 2 vs. Loser of Game 4

Game 7 – 12 PM: (MBB Consolation Semifinal) Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 3

Game 8 – 2 PM: (WBB Semifinal) Manhattan vs. Winner of Game 2

Game 9 – 4 PM: (MBB Semifinal) Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 3

Game 10 – 6 PM: (WBB Semifinal) Calvary vs. Winner of Game 4

Game 11 – 8 PM: (MBB Semifinal) Faith vs. Winner of Game 5

SATURDAY, FEB. 21

Game 12 - 10 AM: (MBB Consolation Final) Loser of Game 5 vs. Winner of Game 7

Game 13 – 12 PM: (WBB Third Place) Loser of Game 8 vs. Loser of Game 10

Game 14 – 2 PM: (MBB Third Place) Loser of Game 9 vs. Loser of Game 11

Game 15 – 4 PM: (WBB Championship) Winner of Game 8 vs. Winner of Game 10

Game 16 – 6 PM: (MBB Championship) Winner of Game 9 vs. Winner of Game 11

The Saints split their last weekend of home conference games with a thrilling win on Friday night before falling to the defending national champions on Saturday.

Central Christian's 66-64 victory over Calvary University on Friday was led with strong individual performances, while Saturday's 59-42 loss to sixth-ranked Ozark Christian College brought a milestone moment in program history.

FRIDAY, FEB. 6

FINAL: Central Christian 66, Calvary 64
RECORDS: Central Christian (7-12, 3-5 MCCC), Calvary (9-5, 5-3 MCCC)

GAME NOTES:

• Central Christian battled in a back-and-forth contest that came down to the final seconds.
• The Saints showed composure late, making key plays down the stretch to secure the two point victory.
• Four Saints reached double figures as the offense found balance throughout the night.

TOP PERFORMERS:

• HJ Fender: 23 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds
• Sara Shoemaker: 12 points
• Savanna Luna: 11 points
• Claire Hall: 10 points

SATURDAY, FEB. 7

FINAL: Ozark Christian  59, Central Christian 42
RECORDS: Ozark Christian (11-4, 6-2 MCCC), Central Christian (7-13, 3-6 MCCC)

GAME NOTES:

• The Saints forced 20 turnovers.
• The Saints came up way short by only shooting 24% on the game.
• Claire Hall reached a major career milestone, recording her 667th career point to become the 11th all-time leading scorer in program history. She now sits just 52 points shy of moving into 10th.

TOP PERFORMERS:

• Claire Hall: 12 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists
• Sara Shoemaker: 8 points, 6 rebounds
• Jayla Jones: 6 points
• Savanna Luna: 6 points

UP NEXT:

The Saints travel to Manhattan, Kan., for their last regular season game of the year with a conference matchup against Manhattan Christian College. Tip-Off will be at 5:00pm.