Following two tough home games against National Christian College Athletics Association top ten division I and II teams in Central Christian College (McPherson, Kans.) and Randall University (Moore, Okla.) earlier in the week, the Bears were back in conference play over the weekend. Friday night they traveled to Belton, Mo. to take on Calvary University and then journeyed south to take on Ozark Christian College (Joplin, Mo.) on Saturday afternoon.

A revamped Calvary University team looked to build on their Midwest Christian College Conference success following a huge win against Ozark Christian on Tuesday, but the Bears came in desperate for a win themselves. It was back-and-forth early in the game before the Bears’ relentless defense finally capitalized on Calvary’s shallow bench to build a double digit halftime lead. Calvary used a raucous home crowd to get back into the game, trimming the lead to five points, before the Bears were once again able come up with key defense stops and wear down Calvary for a 101-88 road win. Senior Jay Bradley (Wichita, Kans.) and sophomore Quinton Walker (Paris, Texas) were instrumental in the second half burst of offense to lead the Bears.

Saturday afternoon was a tough contest with the Ambassadors of Ozark. Uncharacteristically, the Ambassadors found themselves in the bottom half of the conference standings. However, with a roster full of veterans, they are always a tough out. The Ambassadors stormed out of the games and built a 16 point lead over the first twelve minutes of the game. It was at that juncture, the Bears did not panic and capitalized on a set piece to get the wheels rolling. Then the Bears, led by junior Tommy Leach (Derby, Kans.), connected on a barrage of three pointers to propel the Bears to a three point halftime lead. To start the second half, both teams came out on fire, but no ground was won or lost. The Bears pushed toward a double digit lead only to see the Ambassadors narrow the margin. In the end, the Bears connected on just enough free throws to come away with a 86-79 victory for a weekend sweep.

The Bears are back in action Tuesday night at #1 Randall for a high stakes southwest region contest. Game time is set for 7:30 pm.