WATERTOWN, Wis. --- In a riveting clash worthy of a competitive regional semifinal, the Sabercats topped the #1-seeded Trinity Bible College Lions by a score of 71-64 on the campus of MBU. With the win, the Sabercats (11-16) move on to the Regional Championship Game tomorrow at 5:00 p.m. 

Micah Shepard led MBU with 20 points and eight rebounds, while Zach Terpstra (13 pts, four rebs), Bryce Cashner (11 pts, four rebs) and Clayton Morrison (nine pts, eight rebs) made heavy contributions in the win.

Terpstra nailed a couple of three-pointers early on to put MBU in front, but the Sabercats were shaky with their possession in the opening possessions, as a few uncharacteristic turnovers made for an on-edge start.

The Sabercats quickly settled into a rhythm, though, as Zach Terpstra and Micah Shepard helped calm the Sabercats down by posting 11 and eight points, respectively, in the first half. Once they settled in, MBU established a lead that they would hold for the better part of the opening exchange.

The Lions fought back to regain the lead with just over five minutes to play, triggering a back-and-forth brawl to end the second half. The Lions created chances from the line to stay within one possession of the Sabercats, but TBC could not get their shots to fall. Richard Medina then brought the home crowd to their feet with a three-pointer that put the Sabercats up by five and forced the Lions to call a timeout with 2:30 on the clock.

The Lions showed why they were placed the #1 seed, as they showed determination to get back to within one point by the end of the half.

Overall, it was an evenly-matched opening half, as the teams had similar totals in chances and rebounds. After the Lions came back to challenge MBU, the two teams went into the locker room with a one-point difference after a back-and-forth half. (36-37)

Slowly but surely, the Sabercats began to pull away in the second half, as they extended their lead to as many as 10 points in an energy-filled second half. Shepard and Casher were the main contributors in points, but the Sabercats seemed to have no weak spots in their offense - starters and non-starters pitched in to keep MBU in front.

Trinity Bible gave the Sabercats a scare when they came back to within three points with two and a half minutes left, signalling an intense finish.

For what seemed to be the longest two minutes of the Sabercats season so far, neither team could connect on their chances, as the score froze at 67-64 until there were less than 20 seconds left. It was then that Morrison stepped in. After a missed three-pointer from TBC, Morrison grabbed the defensive board and drew the foul to go to the line with 12 seconds on the clock.

Morrison stepped up and calmly knocked down both shots to make it 69-64.

The Lions tried to hit a desperation three, but missed. On hand was Micah Shepard, who once again drew a foul and had a chance to prove himself from the line in a key moment to seal the win for MBU. Shepard made no mistake, nailing both of his chances from the line to put the final touches on an exhilarating win for MBU. (71-64)

Joel Borchardt once again stepped in as head coach in place of Keith Salscheider (sickness).

"Congratulations to Trinity and their team - they played a really good game tonight," said Borchardt after the game. "It was a hard-fought game, and we are excited to come away with the win. Trinity gave us some scares, but our guys came out ready to play. The guys were playing with each other and for each other, which is really important for our team moving forward. We are looking forward to tomorrow's championship game against Moody and the prospect of making a run at the NCCAA National Championship."

The Sabercats will face the Moody Bible Institute Archers in the Regional Championship Game tomorrow at 5:00 p.m. The Sabercats have faced Moody twice this season, and have split the series 1-1.

You can watch the championship game live at mbusabercats.com/live or on Facebook (/MBUSabercats)