Despite a slow start, Central Christian pulled away from Morgan to earn a 48-33 win and take third place in the Morgan Pepsi Classic on Saturday morning.

“It was a very crucial win,” said Central Christian coach Darrell Walker. “This tournament prepared us we for our (Class) A season.”

Trailing 17-14 in the third quarter, Kara Rawls heated up from the 3-point line, hitting five 3-pointers in a 25-4 run that put the Warriors ahead 39-21 headed into the fourth quarter.

“My girls stuck with it,” said Walker. “Kara Rawls stepped up. I’m very proud of my girls.”

Morgan finished the game with a 10-4 run, but the Senators’ deficit was simply too large to overcome.

We played hard. We just didn’t shoot well,” said Morgan coach Robert Andress. “We just have to improve.”

The first half wasn’t indicative of the offensive spurt that led to the Warriors’ win. Both teams struggled from the field, scoring a combined 10 points for the first 7:25. A Tiffany Brown layup triggered a 9-0 run that put Central Christian ahead 14-5 in the second quarter.

Morgan responded with an 8-0 run to take a 14-13 lead into the half. The Senators led 17-14 and 18-16 before Rawls began the Warriors’ run.

Rawls led all scorers with 24 points. Tiffany Brown contributed 21 points.

Caitlin Henderson led the Senators with 11 points and April Clark added 10.

Central Christian returns to region play against Restoration on Tuesday. Morgan visits Prattville Christian.