The Thunder men's basketball team opened their season with two games at the Central Christian College Classic for Christ. On Friday night, the Thunder would battle with Sterling College. This was the third time in three seasons that the Thunder have played the Warriors in the Classic for Christ. In a back and forth battle throughout, the game would be tied at 68 with under 40 seconds remaining. Senior, guard, Jaxon Hurla would drill a three in the corner to break the tie and put the Thunder up 71-68 with 17 seconds remaining. Junior, guard, James Braddy would draw a foul on the rebound on the ensuing possession. He would knock in two free throws to ice the game and secure the victory for the Thunder, 73-68. Hurla would lead the Thunder in scoring with 19 points, while connecting on four three-pointers, to go along with six assists, and three steals. Six Thunder players would score more than eight points on the night. Sophomore, guard, Tatum Pierce would have 14 points and five rebounds, while senior, forward, Fred Criqui would chip in with 10 points and five rebounds. The Thunder would shoot 44.1% from the field, 31.8% from the three-point line, and 82.4% from the free throw line.

On Saturday afternoon, the Thunder would go head-to-head with Hesston College. In a game that was tied seven ties and 12 lead changes, the Thunder would find their way to close out the high scoring affair, 100-97, to get their second win of the season in as many days. Even though the Thunder would give up 20 three to the Larks, the Thunder would dominate in the paint outscoring them, 46-12. Junior, forward, Hunter Hill would record a double-double of 37 points and 11 rebounds on 13 of 17 shooting from the field and 11 of 15 shooting from the free throw line. Four other Thunder player would score in double figures, as Hurla would have 19 and four rebounds and Braddy would have 16 and four assists. Pierce would have a near double-double with 11 points and nine rebounds, while redshirt-junior, guard, Jordan Carter would chip in with 11 points, four rebounds, and four assists. The Thunder would shoot an efficient 55.9% from the field, 53.3% from the three-point line, and 70.3% from the free throw line. The Thunder start the season 2-0 for the first time since 2022-23.

The Thunder will play again on Saturday, November 8th in their home opener at 4:00PM against Missouri Valley College.

How to Follow the Thunder: For complete information and to stay up-to-date with Manhattan Christian College Men's Basketball, visit www.mccthunder.com and follow the team's social media pages on X and Instagram.