HILLSBORO, Kan. The Bluejays had a great day one of the Tabor Classic Tournament. They came out to beat the University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy. On day two, the ladies took on the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma. In great Tabor fashion, the Bluejays came out and fought till the end but fell short, 54-61.
The starting five for the Jays included senior guard Ja'Neysha Hendricks, junior guards Teegan Werth and Kassidy Beam, senior guard/forward Maddie McCoy, and senior forward Alyvia Owens.
Head Coach Shawn Reed said, "It was a disappointing loss to a very good team. Our biggest issue tonight was our inconsistency. We shot 50% from the field in the first quarter and followed that positive performance with a dismal 7% effort in the second quarter. We came out after halftime and shot an impressive 67% from the floor and then followed that with an 18% shooting effort in the final quarter. That type of inconsistency makes it very tough to beat a quality opponent."
Coach Reed included, "USAO did not do anything different defensively during those quarters; we simply struggled to execute in the final ten minutes of each half. I thought our attention to detail diminished and we were not able to fight through some situations and frustrations and make the most of our opportunities."
Maddie McCoy starts the first quarter off on a bang by draining a three to get the Bluejays going. Quickly after, Kassidy Beam hit another to give the Bluejays a lead. Some good communication gave the ladies good looks ending quarter one, 19-11. Quarter two was big for the Drovers, as they cut their deficit. Going back and forth, both teams struggled to get anything going, 23-22 Tabor.
A pair of threes for Ja'Neysha Hendricks and Maddie McCoy got it going for Tabor. Not letting up USAO answered back with each position. Finding the basket was Alicia Baker, Alyvia Owens, and Teegan Werth, finishing the third quarter 42-38. A slow start to quarter four for the Bluejays. After a few minutes, Tayton Smith got in on the action to try to give Tabor the lead but wasn't enough, falling 54-61.
"I was pleased with our rebounding and we did a great job of taking care of the ball against a very athletic and active team. I also thought Tayton Smith did a great job for us off the bench tonight. We had a player gone today for a wedding and I thought Tayton did a tremendous job of stepping in against a nationally ranked opponent. She had nine rebounds and six points in 15 minutes and I feel like she has a bright future in our program", Coach Reed said.
"Individually, I thought Alicia Baker had a strong offensive performance. She was aggressive but played at a controlled pace and did some very positive things for us. Ja'Neysha Hendricks also played very well for us. She did a great job of running our offense and looking for opportunities to score", stated Coach.
Coach Reed said, "Things don't get any easier for us as we start conference play at Evangel. Evangel has a great ball club and they are coached by a Hall of Fame coach. We have never played at Evangel and it will be a long trip and a huge challenge for our team."
This brings their record to 3-2 overall. The Bluejays start conference play in Springfield, Missouri against the Evangel University Valors on Wednesday, Nov. 15 at 5:30 p.m.
Tabor College is a Christ-centered institution located in Hillsboro, Kansas. The Bluejays are members of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and compete in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC).
