HILLSBORO, Kan. The Bluejays got a little game day break after beating York University on November 18th. The ladies took Avila University with hopes of getting another win, and successfully did that, winning 80-53.
The starting five for the Lady Jays included senior guard Ja'Neysha Hendricks, junior guards Teegan Werth and Kassidy Beam, senior guard/forward Madie McCoy, and senior forward Alyvia Owens.
Head Coach Shawn Reed said, "It was a solid home win over a very improved Avila team but it was obvious that we had not played a game for 11 days. Because of the winter weather, we had our scrimmage at Fort Hays State University postponed and I thought we had quite a bit of rust in this game, especially at the defensive end."
"In the second and fourth quarters, our defense was outstanding but in the first and third quarters, we really struggled to guard shooters. I have to give credit to Avila. They came out firing in the first quarter and we did nothing to hinder them. The Melton kid had 11 points in the first quarter and we simply could not guard her. Probably the best thing we did defensively was rebound and limit Avila's second-chance opportunities. Madie McCoy and Alyvia Owens both did an exceptional job of rebounding and I thought Miyah McGee and Lillie Veer had good nights on the glass as well", Coach Reed continued.
After a scrappy first quarter, the Jays and the Eagles went head to head, 17-19 Avila. A quick break once the quarter ended is just what the Bluejays needed to find their fire. In the first three minutes of quarter two, the ladies got to an 8-point lead. Keeping the Eagles at only 6 points this quarter, 38-25 Tabor at the half.
Coach Reed stated, "Offensively we were consistent throughout the game and I felt like we got good looks especially when we ran the floor in transition. We had four players in double figures and we had a lot of players who were efficient and were shooting their shots in rhythm."
In the third quarter, the Eagles added to their score taking advantage of the mistakes by the Jays. But that didn't shut the ladies down ending the quarter, 56-44 Tabor. The fourth quarter for the Bluejays looked electric. Shots falling and good defense led to another Tabor win, 80-53.
"It was great to see Teegan Werth get going. She has been struggling a little but we all know Teegan is a great shooter so it was nice to see her breakthrough tonight. We were struggling a little at one point in the game and she hit some big shots for us that gave us momentum. I also thought Alyvia, McGee, and Brooke Berlin had very efficient nights offensively. Each of those players is capable of scoring in different ways and I really liked how they were looking for their shots within our offense and the opportunities the game presented", Coach exclaimed.
Coach Reed included, "We travel to Sterling on Saturday and it's a really tough place to win. Sterling has won their last two games and I think their young team is probably starting to gel and find some chemistry. We will need to play more consistently than we did tonight if we hope to win a tough road battle in our conference."
This win brings the Bluejays record to an overall of 6-2 and a conference record of 3-0. Their next game is against Sterling College on Dec. 2 at 5 p.m. in Sterling, Kansas.
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).
