Mens Basketball

Three Thunder Men's Basketball Players and Head Coach Represented on All-Region Teams

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Three Thunder Men's Basketball Players and Head Coach Represented on All-Region Teams

Manhattan, Kan.

The Thunder men's basketball team entered the 2025 NCCAA Central Region Tournament as the two seed and would win their quarterfinal game over the Barclay Bears and would fall in the semifinal to the Kansas Christian College Falcons. The Thunder had three players and head coach represented on the Central Region All-Region teams. Sophomore, forward, Davis Rokey, who was named a first team All-Midwest Christian College Conference member, would earn Region Most Valuable Player and first team nod for the Thunder. Rokey played and started in all nine regular season region games. He would average 15.9 points per game on 58.8% shooting from the field, to go along with 8.7 rebounds per game, 1.0 assists per game, and 1.1 blocks per game. He would also convert on 63.9% of his free throws in region games only. Senior, guard, Micah Lovett, who was a second team All-MCCC selection, would earn a first team all-region honor. Lovett played and started in all nine regular season region games. He would average 13.0 points per game, to go along with 3.2 rebounds per game, 3.2 assists per game, and 2.0 steals per game. He would also convert on 71.9% of his free throws in region games only. Junior, guard, Jaxon Hurla, who was a honorable mention All-MCCC player, would earn a second team all-region nod for the Thunder. Hurla would play in all nine regular season region games, while starting in eight. He would average 11.1 points per game on 43.4% shooting from the field and 40.8% from the three-point line, to go along with 2.8 rebounds per game, 3.3 assists per game, and 1.7 steals per game in region games only. Head coach Jordan Strom would win Central Region Coach of the Year after leading the Thunder to a 19-10 regular season record and a 9-1 region mark.

The Thunder will await their fate once all of the region tournaments conclude next week after falling in the Central Region Semifinal. They have an overall record of 22-11.

 

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Thunder Men's Basketball Ranked #2 in Final Regular Season NCCAA Coaches' Poll

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Thunder Men's Basketball Ranked #2 in Final Regular Season NCCAA Coaches' Poll

Manhattan, Kan.

The Thunder men's basketball team are up two spots to #2 in the final regular season National Christian College Athletic Association Coaches' Poll for DII Men's Basketball. The Thunder won the Midwest Christian College Conference Tournament last weekend and are now 22-10 overall. With a total of 49 points, the Thunder are below North Central. The top-5 is as follows, #3 Crown, #4 Spurgeon, and #5 Grace Christian to round out the top half poll. For the full top-10 rankings for DII Men's Basketball, click this link.

The Thunder will play tonight in the NCCAA Central Region Tournament semifinal against the three seed Kansas Christian College Falcons at 7:00 PM in Moberly, Missouri.

 

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Four Thunder Men's Basketball Players Represented on All-Conference Teams

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Four Thunder Men's Basketball Players Represented on All-Conference Teams

Manhattan, Kan.

The Thunder men's basketball team captured the 2025 Midwest Christian College Conference Tournament title this past weekend, and some would leave with some individual honors as well. The Thunder had four players represented on the MCCC All-Conference teams. Sophomore, forward, Davis Rokey would earn a first-team nod for the Thunder after earning honorable mention honors as a freshman. Rokey played and started in all 11 regular season conference games. He would average 17.4 points per game on 63.5% shooting from the field, to go along with 7.7 rebounds per game, 1.2 steals per game, and 1.0 blocks per game. He would also convert on 64.6% of his free throws in conference games only. Two Thunder players would be named to the second-team in senior, guard, Micah Lovett and junior, guard, Xavier Lucas. Lovett played and started in all 11 regular season conference games. He would average 11.6 points per game, to go along with 3.4 rebounds per game, 1.9 steals per game, and 1.1 blocks per game. He would also convert on 76.7% of his free throws in conference games only. Lucas would play in 10 regular season conference games, while starting in nine. He would average 10.3 points per game on 54.3% shooting from the field and 33.3% from the three-point line, to go along with 5.8 rebounds per game, 2.1 assists, and 1.4 steals per game. He would also convert 78.6% of his free throws in conference games only. Lastly, junior, guard, Jaxon Hurla would earn a honorable mention honor for the Thunder. Hurla would play in all 11 regular season conference games, while starting in 10. He would average 11.1 points per game on 38.7% shooting from the three-point line, to go along with 3.5 rebounds per game, 2.7 assists per game, and 1.4 steals per game in conference games only.

The Thunder will play in the NCCAA Central Region Tournament on Tuesday, February 25th against the seven seed the Barclay College Bears. This game will be at 5:00 PM at the Ferneau Center in Moberly, Missouri.

 

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Recap: #4 Men's Basketball Crowned 2025 MCCC Tournament Champions

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Recap: #4 Men's Basketball Crowned 2025 MCCC Tournament Champions

Manhattan, Kan.

The Thunder men's basketball team entered the Midwest Christian College Conference Tournament with a shared regular season title and would be the one seed for the tournament. The Thunder would earn a bye to Friday and host the four seed Faith Baptist Bible College Eagles. The Thunder would jump out to a 15-0 lead just over three minutes into the game and would bolster their lead to as much as 20 in the first half. The Eagles would not go away as they would cut the lead to three with 3:13 left in the first, but a 10-2 run by the Thunder would make the lead 11 going into halftime. The Thunder would control the second half and lead by double figures for all but seconds in the second half and the Thunder would closeout the Eagles 97-77.

The Thunder would shoot 51.5% from the field, 38.9% from the three-point line, and 58.8% from the free throw line. They would also out-rebound the Eagles 44-24 and force 18 turnovers. 11 Thunder players would score, led by junior, Xavier Lucas who had 20 points on 8-13 shooting from the field, to go along with nine rebounds and three steals. Senior, Micah Lovett would have an efficient night going 6-7 from the field scoring 16 points, while junior, Jaxon Hurla would have 13 points and redshirt sophomore, Jordan Carter would chip in with 11. Nine Thunder players would also have three or more rebounds on the night.

The Thunder then advanced to the championship game on Saturday where they would host the Ozark Christian College Ambassadors, who shared the regular season title with the Thunder. It would be a slow start for the Thunder as they would be down 8-1 to start the game. The Thunder would take their first lead with 9:07 left in the first half and would only lose the lead one more time the rest of the game. The Thunder would take their largest lead of the game with 13:13 left in the game, a 64-45 advantage. The Ambassadors would not go away quietly as they would cut the lead to single digits with 5:17 remaining. Clutch free throws down the stretch would secure the win for the Thunder crowning them the 2025 MCCC Tournament Champions! The Thunder are now 21-10 on the season.

The Thunder would shoot 47.1% from the field, 37.5% from the three-point line, and 83.9% from the free throw line. All the Thunder players that entered the game scored at least five points led by Lovett who had 22 points, going 10-11 from the free throw line, and also having three assists and three steals. Sophomore, Davis Rokey would have a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Lucas and Hurla would have 12 and 10 points, respectively, while Fred Criqui would score nine points and grab four rebounds.

The Thunder will play again on Tuesday, February 25th at the NCCAA Central Region Tournament. They will be the two seed will play the seven seed Barclay College Bears at 5:00 PM in Moberly, Missouri.

 

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MCCC Champs

Thunder Set for Postseason Run

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Thunder Set for Postseason Run

Manhattan, Kan.

The Thunder men's basketball team has completed their regular season with 19 wins and are set to make a run in the postseason. The Thunder claimed their sixth straight regular season Midwest Christian College Conference title and are the one seed in the Midwest Christian College Conference Tournament. The MCCC Tournament seeds are as follows:

#1 Manhattan Christian

#2 Ozark Christian

#3 Emmaus

#4 Faith Baptist Bible

#5 Calvary

#6 Central Christian College of the Bible

#7 Barclay

Manhattan Christian College will be hosting the MCCC Tournament on campus at Howie's Activity Center. The Thunder will play in the semifinal game against the four seed Faith Baptist Bible on Friday, February 21st at 8:00 PM. Depending on the Friday result, the Thunder will play on Saturday, February 22nd in the championship game at 6:30 PM with a win or a consolation game at 2:15 PM with a loss.

The NCCAA Central Region Tournament will be hosted at Central Christian College of the Bible in Moberly, Missouri for the quarterfinal and semifinal and the highest seed remaining will host the championship game. The Central Region Tournament seeds are as follows:

#1 Spurgeon

#2 Manhattan Christian

#3 Kansas Christian

#4 Union Adventist

#5 Calvary

#6 Central Christian College of the Bible

#7 Barclay

The Thunder will be the two seed for the Central Region Tournament and will play the seven seed Barclay College Bears. The quarterfinal and semifinal games will be at the Ferneau Center on the campus of Central Christian College of the Bible on Tuesday, February 25th and Wednesday, February 26th. The championship match will be at a to be determined time on Friday, February 28th at the site of the highest remaining seed.

Head coach Jordan Strom is thrilled for postseason play, "I am thrilled for the opportunity to compete in the postseason. Our guys have put in a lot of work to get to this point and they couldn't be more excited to play for one another."

 

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Recap: #4 Men's Basketball Falls in Regular Season Finale to #6 Spurgeon

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Recap: #4 Men's Basketball Falls in Regular Season Finale to #6 Spurgeon

Manhattan, Kan.

The Thunder men's basketball team played their regular season finale at home in a top-10, NCCAA Central Region matchup with the #6 ranked Spurgeon College Knights on Tuesday afternoon. The Thunder would come out hot, but falter and then battle back but would ultimately fall to the Knights by a score of 97-92. A 5-0 run to start the game would force an early Spurgeon timeout. The Thunder would force another Spurgeon timeout with 15:50 left in the half with the Thunder leading 13-11. A 16-0 Spurgeon run would set the tone for the rest of the half as the Thunder would only get it down to 10 before the Knights took a 62-42 lead into the half. The Knights would lead by as much as 21 early in the second half before the Thunder cut the lead to single digits with 15:12 left in the game. The Thunder would battle back to make it a one point game at two different times with under four minutes to play. Timely free throws for the Knights would close out the game and the Thunder would fall at home. With the defeat, the Thunder finish the regular season with a 19-10 record and a 9-1 record in the NCCAA Central Region.

The Thunder would shoot 46.4% from the field, 15.4% from the three-point line, and 65.0% from the free throw line. Three Thunder players would score 20 or more points, led by sophomore, Davis Rokey who had a double-double with 25 points, 13 rebounds, and two blocks. Micah Lovett would have 22 points on 7-14 shooting, to go along with four rebounds, five assists, and two steals, while Xavier Lucas had a double-double of his own with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Redshirt sophomore, Jordan Carter would also chip in with 10 points.

The Thunder will begin postseason play later this week when they host the Midwest Christian College Conference Tournament. They will play on Friday, February 21st at 8:00 PM against the winner of the 4/5 matchup at Howie's Activity Center.

 

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Recap: Thunder Basketball Nabs Three Wins in Final Weekend of Conference Play

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Recap: Thunder Basketball Nabs Three Wins in Final Weekend of Conference Play

Ankeny, Iowa

The Thunder women's and men's basketball team both traveled up to Ankeny, Iowa to play in their final two conference games of the regular season. The Thunder would face-off with the Emmaus University Eagles and the Faith Baptist Bible College Eagles to close out Midwest Christian College Conference play. On Friday afternoon, the women would battle the Eagles from Emmaus in a neutral site contest. The Thunder would be behind 34-29 at halftime, but would outscore the Eagles 37-17 in the second half to secure the 66-51 victory. This win gave the Thunder their sixth consecutive victory.

Freshman, Elayna Wegner led the way with 20 points on 8-13 shooting from the field and 4-6 from three, to go along with 13 rebounds, five assists, and five steals. Fellow freshman, Austyn Cox would have 15 points, while going a perfect 6-6 from the foul line. Nekayla Williams would also chip in with 14 points and six rebounds. The Thunder would shoot 36.8% from the field, 32.0% from the three-point line, and 100.0% from the free throw line.

On Saturday afternoon, the women would take on the Faith Baptist Bible Eagles, who are receiving vote in the most recent NCCAA Women's Basketball Coaches' poll, to try to extend their win streak. The Eagles from Faith would force 33 Thunder turnovers and end the Thunder's six game win streak by a score of 77-46. By going 1-1 on the weekend, the Thunder finish the regular season with a record of 11-13 and a MCCC record of 6-6.

The Thunder would shoot 33.3% from the field, 20.0% from the three-point line, and 44.4% from the free throw line. Freshman, Macayla Hines would return from injury and score 11 points on 5-7 shooting from the field, to go along with five rebounds and six steals, while Ca'Mya Burns would chip in with seven points in the loss.

The Thunder will be the #4 seed in the MCCC Tournament and will host the #5 seed the Calvary University Warriors in a quarterfinal matchup. This game will be on Thursday, February 20th at 6:00 PM at Howie's Activity Center.

The #4 ranked men would also take on the Emmaus Eagles on Friday afternoon in a neutral site matchup. The Thunder would be in a back-and-forth battle with the Eagles, but would prevail by hitting clutch free throws down the stretch to earn a 92-89 win.

The Thunder would shoot 44.6% from the field, 22.7% from the three-point line, and 77.8% from the free throw line. Five Thunder player would score in double figures, led by junior, Landon Gray who scored 18 point on 6-10 shooting from the field and 3-6 from three and sophomore, Davis Rokey would have a double-double with 18 points and 16 rebounds. The trio of juniors of Jaxon Hurla, Xavier Lucas, and Fred Criqui would score 14, 11, and 10 respectively.

On Saturday, the Thunder would finish up their MCCC regular season schedule with a game against the host, the Faith Eagles. The Thunder would control the game early and hold a 40-31 lead into the half. The Eagles would battle back to cut the deficit to five with 6:40 to play. The Thunder would finish the game on a 17-6 run to close out the Eagles, 78-62. With the two wins in Iowa, the Thunder are now 19-9 overall and finish 11-1 in MCCC play to claim a share of the MCCC Regular Season Title.

The Thunder would force 24 Eagle turnovers, while shooting 47.7% from the field, 33.3% from the three-point line, and 76.9% from the free throw line. Rokey would lead the charge with 16 points, five rebounds, and four steals, while Hurla had 12 points on four made threes, four rebounds, and five assists. Criqui, Gray, and freshman, Tatum Pierce all impacted the game off the bench with a combined 27 points, 10 rebounds, and seven steals. Senior, Micah Lovett would also chip in with 10 points and three steals.

The Thunder will be the #1 seed in the MCCC Tournament and earn a bye into the semi-final round where they will face the winner of the #4 seed Faith Baptist Bible College Eagles and the #5 seed Calvary University Warriors. This game will be on Friday, February 21st at 8:00 PM at Howie's Activity Center.

 

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Thunder Men's Basketball Up Two Spots in the Latest NCCAA Coaches' Poll

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Thunder Men's Basketball Up Two Spots in the Latest NCCAA Coaches' Poll

Manhattan, Kan.

The Thunder men's basketball team have gone 6-0 since the last poll on January 28th, and are up two spots to the #4 spot in the latest National Christian College Athletic Association Coaches' Poll for DII Men's Basketball. The six wins were over Midwest Christian College Conference and NCCAA Central Region members, Barclay (twice), Central Christian College of the Bible, Kansas Christian, Ozark Christian, and Calvary. With a total of 41 points, the Thunder are below #1 North Central, #2 Crown, and #3 Campbellsville-Harrodsburg to round out the top half poll. For the full top-10 rankings for DII Men's Basketball, click this link.

The Thunder will be back in action for a neutral site game against the Emmaus University Eagles on February 14th at 3:00 PM in Ankeny, IA.

 

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Recap: Thunder Basketball Has Undefeated Weekend at Home

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Recap: Thunder Basketball Has Undefeated Weekend at Home

Manhattan, Kan.

The Thunder women's and men's basketball teams were back in action this weekend at Howie's Activity Center. On Friday night, both Thunder teams would host Midwest Christian College Conference rival the Ozark Christian College Ambassadors. The women would open up the night against the #3 ranked and undefeated Ambassadors. The Thunder would do something that has not happened since the 2018-19 season, where the Thunder would defeat the Ambassadors three times, and upset the Ambassadors by a score of 63-59 on Friday night. The Thunder would take a 39-33 lead into the half and hold strong in the second half to secure their first victory over their rivals in six seasons.

The Thunder would shoot 38.6% from the field, 37.5% from the three-point line, and 58.8% from the free throw line. Led by junior, Nekayla Williams, who scored 18 points on 6-11 shooting from the field in 20 minutes paced the Thunder offensively. The freshman duo of Macayla Hines and Elayna Wegner, who both hit three three-pointers a piece, score 14 points and 12 points, respectively. Hines also dished out four assists.

On Saturday, the Calvary University Warriors would come to Manhattan to take on the Thunder. The women would open up the afternoon with another thrilling victory over the Warriors, who are receiving votes in the most recent poll. The Thunder would take a two-point leading after 20 minutes and fall behind by one going into the fourth quarter. A 14-9 quarter would boost the Thunder ahead for the 46-42 win. With the two wins on the weekend, the women move to 9-12 overall, 4-5 in the MCCC, and 6-4 in the NCCAA Central Region.

The Thunder would shoot 30.0% from the field, 18.2% from the three-point line, and 60.0% from the free throw line. Williams would have a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds, to go along with four steals and three blocks. Freshman, Chantyl Perry would chip in with 11 points of her own.

The Thunder will hit the road for their next game on Tuesday, February 11th to take on the Barclay College Bears at 4:00 PM in Haviland, Kansas.

In the second game of the double-header on Friday, the #6 ranked men would take on the Ambassadors. While the Ambassadors scored the first basket of the game, the Thunder would never trail after that. The Thunder would take a 14-point lead into halftime and maintain that lead for most of the second half. The Ambassadors would not go away cutting the Thunder lead down to one before the Thunder would close them out with a 74-56 victory. The Thunder avenge a loss from January 17th to be in a tie atop the MCCC standings.

The Thunder would shoot 43.1% from the field, 25.0% from the three-point line, and 87.5% from the free throw line. Sophomore, Davis Rokey would lead all scorers with 27 points on 11-19 shooting from the field, to go along with nine rebounds, three blocks, and two steals. Micah Lovett would also pace the offense with 11 points and five assists, while juniors, Jaxon Hurla and Xavier Lucas would each have nine points. Lucas would also snag 12 rebounds.

The #6 ranked men would also take on the Warriors on Saturday afternoon. Despite a slow start, the Thunder would take care of the Warriors by a score of 89-54. The Thunder would fall behind 13-9 before a 17-0 run would put them ahead for good. Another 15-0 run in the first half would extend the lead into the half. The lead would blossom as large as 39 in the second half as the Thunder closed out the Warriors. With two victories this weekend, the men are now 16-9, 8-1 in the MCCC, and 8-0 in the NCCAA Central Region.

Rokey would have another 20-point game scoring 21 points on 10-13 shooting from the field and grabbing nine rebounds. Lucas would score 14 points on 6-8 shooting, while Lovett stuffed the stat sheet with 13 points, five assists, six steals, and two blocks. Redshirt-sophomore, Jordan Carter would also have an efficient afternoon scoring 12 points on 5-7 shooting, to go with three rebounds, two assists, and two steals in 13 minutes. The Thunder would shoot 47.9% from the field, 20.0% from the three-point line, and 76.2% from the free throw line as a team. The Thunder defense would also force 23 Warrior turnovers.

The Thunder will hit the road for their next game on Tuesday, February 11th to take on the Barclay College Bears at 6:00 PM.

 

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Recap: Thunder Basketball Takes Two from Kansas Christian

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Recap: Thunder Basketball Takes Two from Kansas Christian

Manhattan, Kan.

The Thunder women's and men's basketball teams played Tuesday evening in a double header with the Kansas Christian Falcons. The women opened the evening with a thrilling 61-58 win over the visiting Falcons. The Thunder jumped out to a 12-9 lead after one quarter, but the Falcons bounced back and took an eight point lead into halftime. A 25-point third quarter for the Thunder gave them the lead with 10 minutes to play. A back and forth fourth would see the Falcons take a five-point lead with 5:27 to go, but a 7-0 run by the Thunder would give them the lead with 2:21 left. Timely baskets would close out the game for the Thunder and earn them the NCCAA Central Region win. The Thunder are now 7-12 overall and 5-3 in Central Region play.

The Thunder would shoot 33.8% from the field, 23.3% from the three-point line, and 46.2% from the free throw line. Four Thunder players would score in double-figures led by junior, Nekayla Williams who had a double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds. Madison Ellis and Macayla Hines both had 11 points a piece, while Hines would also have seven assists, five rebounds, and two steals. Freshman, Elayna Wegner would round off the double-digit scorers with 10 points.

The women will host the #3 ranked Ozark Christian College Ambassadors for their next game on Friday, February 7th at 5:00 PM.

The #6 ranked men took on the Falcons in the night cap off the double header. The Thunder would fall behind 2-0 to start the game, but would never trail again as they would take their largest lead of the half into halftime with a 48-22 advantage. The Thunder would bolster their lead to as much as 36 with 13:11 to play before the Falcons would cut it to 18 with 5:28 left in the game. The Thunder would finish off the Falcons and win by a score of 100-70. The Thunder are now 14-9 overall and 7-0 against the Central Region.

The Thunder would shoot 46.4% from the field, 31.6% from the three-point line, and 81.1% from the free throw line, while out-rebounding the Falcons 53-17. Five Thunder players would score in double-figures led by sophomore, Davis Rokey who had a double-double with 21 point and 14 rebounds on 6-6 shooting from the field. Jaxon Hurla, Xavier Lucas, and Tatum Pierce would all have 14 points, while Hurla would also have six assists, Lucas added nine rebounds and four assists, and Pierce added five rebounds, while going 4-4 from the field, to their stat lines. Senior, Micah Lovett would chip in with 12 points and four rebounds on the night.

The men will host the Ozark Christian College Ambassadors for their next game after the women's game on Friday, February 7th at 7:00 PM.

 

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