The Manhattan Christian College Thunder opened up Conference play this past weekend at the Midwest Christian College Conference Classic. 

Friday January 7, the women's basketball squad got things started with a match up against Emmaus Bible College. A very sluggish start saw the Thunder down early and just never could recover as a team. Sophomore Roni Harris lead everyone in scoring put up 40 points in the 87-72 loss.  

Due to COVID issues within Emmaus, the men's basketball team have to postpone their game for Friday afternoon.

Saturday January 8, brought a matchup for both against Faith Baptist Bible College. On the women's side, the Thunder had a slow shooting night in the first half but their defense started to click only allowing 7 points in the second quarter. Manhattan flipped the script in the second half, scrappy defense fueled the offensive end where 20 plus points were seen in both quarters for the Thunder to pull away with a 62-50 win. Sophomore Kayleigh Mannering end the game with a double-double with 22 points and 14 rebounds. Two others ladies finished in double figures, Harris had 19 and Sophomore Tristen Heiden finished with 13. Freshman Maggie Hayes pulled 10 rebounds. 

For the men, Faith Baptist wasn't going to make it easy for the Thunder. The first few minutes was a back and forth battle until the Thunder started to pull away, getting up 12 at on point. The Eagles were going away, fighting back to close the gap for a 38-32 Thunder lead into half. In the second half the defensive tempo increased seeing Manhattan Christian scoring 23 points off of 17 turnovers and not letting Faith get any closer than 9 points. Senior Jordan Marshall end the game with a double-double, 21 points and 10 rebounds to lead the team to a 79-64 victory. Senior Nate Awbrey chipped in 11 points and Sophomore Fred Handy Jr. came off the bench to add 13 points. 

Next up: Tuesday January 11 at Barclay College. Women tip off at 5pm with the guys to follow.