The game went back and forth in the early going with the score knotted at 9-9 at the 13:26 mark. Then, with the Cardinals (1-1) holding a 14-13 advantage, MVNU (5-1) went on a 10-0 run to take a 23-14 lead with 8:56 left in the half. Senior guards Ben Falkenberg (left) and Dan Borcherdt each nailed a three-pointer and junior post Bryce Sanborn and senior wing Andy Francis each added a basket.

That lead was short-lived, though, as North Central used an 18-9 run of its own to pull even at 32-32 with 1:52 left before the half on a layup by Dominique King. The two teams traded baskets over the remainder of the half with the Cougars taking a slim 36-34 lead to the locker room at the break.

Senior forward Jadin Thomas led MVNU with 10 points and six rebounds in the first half as he went 4-for-4 from the field. Falkenberg added seven points and sophomore guard Brandon Short tossed in six points. The Cougars shot 55.6 percent from the field (15-for-27), 25.0 percent from three-point range (3-for-12), and 50.0 percent from three-point range (3-for-6).

The host Cardinals were led by David Twyman with eight points in the first half, while King tossed in seven points off the bench.

Falkenberg and Thomas provided a solid one-two, inside-outside scoring punch to start the second half as the dynamic duo combined to score MVNU’s first 23 points of the final period with Thomas tossing in 12 points and Falkenberg adding 11 points as the Cougars’ lead grew to 62-51 on a three-pointer by Francis with 10:33 to play.

From that point on, North Central was only able to come as close as nine points the rest of the way. Meanwhile, MVNU took its biggest lead of the game on a layup by Thomas with 3:46 to play that made the score 87-65. The Cougars would go on to post the 91-75 victory to claim the Holiday Inn Select Tip-off Tournament championship.

Falkenberg finished with a game-high 28 points and seven assists as he was named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament. Thomas (right) posted a double-double with 24 points and 10 rebounds to join Falkenberg on the All-Tournament Team, while Short tossed in a career-high 16 points. Borcherdt matched his career high with six rebounds to go with six points, and Francis filled out the stat sheet with nine points, six rebounds, and three assists. The Cougars shot a blistering 60.4 percent from the field (32-for-53), 30.0 percent from three-point range (6-for-20), and 77.8 percent from the free throw line (21-for-27).

“This was a solid effort tonight,” said MVNU coach Scott Flemming. “(North Central) gave us some real match-up problems and we had to adjust our lineup. Andy gave us some valuable minutes off the bench again tonight. I think he is enjoying his role as the guy who comes in and brings energy to the game. Jadin had a strong game tonight and used his quickness against their post players. Even though our guards did not shoot as well as they usually do from three-point range, they still played very well. This was a quality win.”

Chris Drennan led North Central with 19 points, eight rebounds, and five assists, while Reid Barringer added 17 points. The Cardinals shot 42.4 percent from the field (25-for-59), 33.3 percent from three-point range (6-for-18), and 79.2 percent from the free throw line (19-for-24).

The Cougars must now quickly prepare for a non-conference contest at the University of Rio Grande that will tip off at 8:00 p.m. That game will be broadcast on wnzr.fm/sports.html and 90.9 FM.