McPherson, KS – The Central Christian College Men's Basketball took the court for the 1^st time in almost a month to take on former conference foe Bacone College Warriors.

The Tigers have a good track record as they have won the previous 4 meetings against the Warriors and have extended that streak to 5 games thanks to the great performance on offense and defense by the Tigers.

Everyone in the arena tonight knew that the Tigers haven't be able to play against another team in almost a month and could come out sluggish and not firing on all cylinders. The Tigers never got that memo and they picked right up from their first game of the year and dominated both ends of the floor and controlled the game from the tip-off.

Tigers jumped out to a quick double digit lead within the first 5 minutes of the game 14-4. The Tigers would never give up that lead and although they would go on a 5-0 skid after the next couple of possessions the Tigers found their groove and never looked back. Thanks to some great shooting from beyond the arc again tonight the Tigers would build a 16 point lead heading into half up 40-24.

Halftime would be a bit more elongated after a celebration in between the game. Tigers wouldn't slow down as they would have an even better offense half and would hold the Warriors to 9 points through the first 13 minutes of the 2^nd half. With the game well out of reach the Tigers were able to get some bench players key minutes in the game and the guys never let up on the pedal against the Warriors. The Tigers would end the game with a 40 point blowout for their largest victory over Bacone in their series history.

Junior Guard Demario Moore would be an absolute beast tonight from the 3-point line and crashing the boards for a 19-12 stat line. From the bench Senior Forward Darrell Bryant would score 17 points and collect 10 boards to join his teammate as the two Tigers that would have a double-double on the night. Reece Warren and Neil Blanchard would join their teammates in double figures tonight and 11 of the Tigers that touched the floor tonight would contribute to their 87 points.

Tigers were just as good if not better on the defensive side of things as they held the Warriors to 26.8% shooting from the floor, 3-22 from behind the arc, and outrebounded them 54-34.

Tigers will compete in two more game at the MCC Thanksgiving Tournament this Friday and Saturday before they head off to break until the next semester.

Tony Romero, Head Men's Basketball Coach said this on the performance tonight:

"After a long layoff, we are very grateful to play. We were not quite sure what to expect after that much time off?  Although some signs of rust and some execution errors, I thought our guys played with a lot of effort tonight.  I was especially pleased with our defensive effort, Bacone came in averaging 80 points per game and we were able to hold them to 47 points and below 30 percent from the field.  We will continue to improve on offense as the season progresses, but we know our identity lies on the defensive side of the ball and our guys are starting to buy into that mindset.  It was a special night dedicating our new floor and I am forced thankful to our administration, the Alexander and Odermann families and Dr. Barry McKeown for their leadership and gifts to make this a reality for our student athletes.  I am happy we were able to earn a win in their honor this evening! 
 
Go Tigers!

#Ambush