February 24, 2022 | by Taylor Pill

LEAD

WATERTOWN, Wis. -- The Sabercats followed a wild first half with aplomb in the second, taking a 54-44 win over #5 Central Christian to advance to the North Region Semifinal.

With the win, the Sabercats take on the top-seeded Emmaus Bible College Eagles tomorrow at 3:00 p.m. with a ticket to the North Region Championship on the line.

OVERVIEW

• Result: #4 Maranatha 54-44 #5 Central
• Venue: Maranatha Baptist University
• Event: NCCAA North Region 1st Round
• Location: Watertown, Wis.
• Attendance: 192
• Records: MBU (6-16), CCCB (7-18) 

STORY 

The Sabercats were on fire in the opening minutes, as they blitzed out to a 14-2 lead in just five minutes of play. But the Sabercats quickly went ice cold with their possession and shot selection, as the Saints responded with a 20-4 run that took them midway through the second quarter. Already, the momentum swings were impossible to ignore.

It all evened out by halftime - almost - as the Saints took a 29-30 lead into the break. Postseason nerves were palpable inside the gym, and it looked like the second half would be wide open. Callie Morrison led Maranatha with 14 first-half points while Katelyn Morrison added 10. Alexis Whisenand was pacing the Saints with 11 points and four rebounds.

Maranatha needed to settle down in the second half, and they did just that as they found themselves up by 10 points a minute to play in the third. The Sabercats were calmer with possession, more focused and organized on defense, and the effects on Central were pernicious. Going into the fourth, the Sabercats had a 43-33 lead.

That lead held, as both teams compiled 11 points in the fourth quarter, which effectively sealed the win for the Sabercats in front of a vocal home crowd in the MBU gym. Callie and Katelyn had done the lion's share of the scoring, and the Sabercats had done the job in the first round of the tournament.

--

Maranatha Starters: 3- C. Morrison, 13- Teachout, 20- Rogers, 25- K. Morrison, 32- J. Brown // Central starters: 3- Beckner, 14- Hines, 15- Brady, 25- Whisenand, 33- Davis

STATS

• Callie: 22 PTS, 8 REB, 4 AST, 4 STL, 2 BLK
• Katelyn: 20 PTS, 2 AST
• MBU: 41.3 FG%
• Last time: this was the first matchup in the series
• Series: this was the first matchup in the series

OPPONENTS

• Central Christian joined the North Region in the 2019-20 season after competing in the Southwest Region
• Central Christian posted regular-season wins over Faith Baptist and Calvary 

NEXT

The Sabercats have advanced to tomorrow's semifinal at 3:00 p.m. against the #1-seeded Emmaus Bible College Eagles. Follow at mbusabercats.com/schedule.