A furious second half push was just enough to lead the Central men’s basketball team to victory on Wednesday, as they beat Buena Vista, 80 – 78. The Dutch got down by 11 early, but finished the first half on a 20 – 5 run, and started the second half scoring 11 unanswered points to build a 17-point lead. The Beavers used 8-for-12 shooting from outside the arc to claw back closer.

With 4:19 left, Central held a 79 – 68 advantage. They would score just one point the rest of the game, which was just enough to stave off the Beavers.

Pete Walker led all scorers with 20 points, and Colby Taylor added 18.

Central improves to 7 – 8 in league play and 13 – 11 overall. Wartburg annihilated Dubuque in their game last night, so the three schools are knotted up in a battle for the final two spots in the league tournament. With the Dutch holding the season sweep over the Knights and Spartans, all Central needs to do is to beat cellar-dwelling Luther on Saturday to clinch their spot, or, with a loss, needs either Dubuque or Wartburg to lose to get in.

Central’s women played four close quarters with the Beavers, but fell short, 81 – 68. Buena Vista’s three-point shooting helped them get out to a sizable early lead, as they went 6-for-12 from downtown and 13-for-36 for the game, compared to Central’s 3-of-16 effort. Jackie Kriegel scored a career-high 18 points in the loss. Coach Chelsea Petersen tells KNIA/KRLS Sports her team’s effort the second time around against Buena Vista was much better than their trip up to Storm Lake in January. The Central women are 9 – 15 overall, and they, too, will hit the road to Decorah to conclude their regular season on Saturday to face Luther.