Six weeks ago, the Central Christian College of the Bible women's basketball lost five girls off of their roster for various reasons. They were left with six players. 

A week later, the Saints sat at 4-13 overall and 0-3 in conference play. A single conference win was going to be hard to come by, let alone multiple wins. The thought of a top three finish would have seemed absurd.

That all changed when the Saints won five of their next six games and finished fifth in the Midwest Christian College Conference standings. Now they are team who's won eight of their last 12, the latest feat coming in a 72-61 victory over Barclay College to claim third place in the MCCC Tournament on Saturday.

Central Christian led from nearly start to finish on Saturday and were a completely different team than the one that took the floor in early January. Like they have been the last 12 games, Lauren Mills and Ta'Lor Branch were consistent in leading the charge. Mills recorded team highs of 20 points and 12 rebounds, followed by Branch with 18 points and nine rebounds.

Tink Harris added another 17 points and six assists, while Elizabeth Willouer scored 10 points and grabbed nine rebounds for the Saints, who improved to 12-17 overall.

Central Christian got its tournament started on Thursday with a 75-59 win over host and fourth-seeded Ozark Christian College, who won the matchup between the two teams by 10 just a week earlier. The Saints fell to top seed and sixth-ranked Emmaus Bible College, 96-63, in Friday's semifinal round.

Mills and Branch both earned All-MCCC honors on Friday. Mills was named as a second team selection, while Branch was selected to the first team.

Emmaus Bible went on to win the championship game, defeating Calvary University, 94-79, on Saturday.

Next up for the Saints is a trip to Ellendale, N.D., for the NCCAA Division II North Region Tournament. Central Christian, seeded fifth, will take on fourth-seeded Calvary on Thursday at 2 p.m.

The Central Christian College of the Bible women's basketball team jumped out to an 11-0 lead and controlled from start to finish in an 81-63 victory over conference foe Barclay College on Saturday at the Ferneau Center.

The win was the second straight overall and in Midwest Christian College Conference play for the Saints (7-14, 2-4 MCCC), who also defeated Manhattan Christian College, 80-66, at home on Friday night. Additionally, they have won in three of their last four outings.

Ta'Lor Branch went 13-for-15 from the free throw line and scored a game-high 25 points to lead the Saints on Saturday. Lauren Mills, Tink Harris, and Katelynn Wampler all scored 14 points each, while Mills also grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds.

Central Christian held a 23-7 advantage after the first quarter and went on to lead by as many as 29 in the second quarter. They took a 49-24 lead into the locker room and led 66-42 after three quarters.

The Saints shot 42 percent from the field and 31 percent from 3-point range compared to Barclay's 29 percent and 22 percent, respectively. The hosts also outrebounded the Bears, 54-44.

Playing for the third time in four days, Central Christian will host Lincoln Christian University in a women's/men's doubleheader beginning at 5 p.m. on Monday.

The Saints ended an eight-game losing skid at home on Saturday, but were unable to keep the momentum going as Central Christian College of the Bible suffered an 84-53 loss at Calvary University in Midwest Christian College Conference play on Tuesday.

Central Christian (5-14, 0-4 MCCC) kept things close early. They tied things up at 11-apiece on an Elizabeth Willouer putback with 2:44 to play in the first quarter, but Calvary (13-7, 4-2 MCCC) went on an 11-2 run to finish the quarter and take a 22 -13 advantage to start the second frame.

The Warriors owned the middle two quarters, holding leads of 47-28 at the half and 71-37 at the end of the third quarter. The Saints finished the game outscoring the hosts, 16-13 in the final frame.

Willouer, who played in just her eighth game since joining the team at the start of January, matched Ta'Lor Branch in scoring 14 points to lead Central Christian. Tink Harris added another 12 points for the Saints.

Calvary was led by Avery Kornstad with 23 points on 5-for-10 shooting from 3-point range. The Warriors had 10 steals and forced 23 turnovers.

Central Christian will host two more conference games this weekend with Manhattan Christian College coming to town on Friday and Barclay College on Saturday. On Friday, the women tip off at 5:30 p.m., followed by the men's game at 7:30 p.m.