You should be able to beat a same vintage non-VTEC Civic in a straight line. But a stock Civic should outrun a Sentra on anything curvy since newer Civics are not saddled with a beam axle.
Well Motor Trend tested this 1996 Civic EX (SOHC) with 4AT
1996 Honda Civic EX - Owners Review - Long-Term Wrapup- Motor Trend
PERFORMANCE
Acceleration, 0-60 mph, sec 10.8
Quarter mile, sec/mph 18.1/75.3
Braking, 60-0 mph, ft 144
Slalom, mph 62.7
Lateral acceleration, g 0.77
I can only find one instrumented test of the B14 on the Web and it was a 5M GXE.
NISSAN SENTRA GXE (1997)
0-60 MPH 10 seconds
1/4 Mile (E.T.) 17.5 seconds @ 80 mph
Top-speed 112 mph