MALVERN — A win is a win and Catholic Central earned one on the road Friday, clipping Malvern 37-34.

It took five makes from behind the arc by Theresa Kerker and a late conventional three-point play from Katie Zatta for the Crusaders to overcome a tough shooting night and win for the 17th time in 20 outings.

Central led 10-6 after the opening period thanks to triples by Kerker and Zatta. The Hornets rallied behind six Maddie Powers’ points to lead 19-18 at the break. Kerker swished two more from long distance to give her team a 25-23 advantage heading into the final eight minutes.

The hosts knotted the count at 34 with less than 20 seconds to play. That’s when Zatta drove the lane, knocked down a jumper and drew a foul. Her free throw accounted for the final margin. Malvern had a chance to tie but the shot missed its mark.

Kerker led the Crusaders with 17 points. Ellen Rohde added 10 and Zatta finished with seven. Powers took game scoring honors with 20. The junior become a 1,000 point scorer when she canned a jumper in the fourth quarter.

Central and Malvern, now 11-11, will meet again Wednesday in a Division IV sectional game. The tip is set for 7 p.m. inside the Mickey Barber Gymnasium.

The Crusaders will wrap up the regular season today with a trip to Tuscarawas Central Catholic.

Catholic Central 37, Malvern 34

Central 10 8 7 12 — 37

Malvern 6 13 4 11 — 34

CENTRAL (17-3): Zatta 2 2-3 7; Symington 0 0-0 0; Rohde 4 2-6 10; Kerker 6 0 -0 17; O’Karma 1 0-0 2; Arai 0 1-6 1. TOTALS: 13 5-15 37.

MALVERN (11-11): Bowers 2 2-2 7; Kuba 0 0-0 0; Smith 1 0-0 2; Powers 5 9-10 20; Debo 0 1-2 1; Watson 1 2-6 4; Boni 0 0-0 0; Radtka 0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 9 14-20 34.

3-POINT GOALS: Central 6 (Kerker 5; Zatta); Malvern 2 (Bowers, Powers)