HILLSBORO, Kan. The Lady Bluejays wrapped up this past weekend with a nail-biter against the University of Saint Mary beating them in overtime. Wednesday, January 24th the ladies played Southwestern College with high hopes of adding another win to their record. Doing just that, the ladies defeated the Moundbuilders, 74-52.
Head Coach Shawn Reed said, "It was good to earn another conference win but I was disappointed in how we started the game and how we started the second half. We had a very impassioned win on Saturday and it appeared to me that we were still trying to recover from the emotional energy that the game required. However, it is my opinion that a veteran group like ours should be able to do that better than we did."
The starters for the night included senior guard Ja'Neysha Hendricks, junior guards Teegan Werth and Kassidy Beam, senior guard/forward Madie McCoy, and senior forward Alyvia Owens.
"We didn't start the game well at the offensive end but defensively I thought we did some positive things that gave us some time to make some adjustments and find a rhythm offensively. Southwestern tries to spread you out and play one-on-one and I thought we did a pretty good job of guarding our person and picking up early in transition. We also had a strong effort rebounding which helped limit Southwestern's second-chance opportunities," stated Coach Reed.
The first quarter started off slow for the Bluejays, with not many shots falling and a lot of unnecessary turnovers, keeping the score low and close, 9-10 Builders. The ladies picked it up in the second quarter and started hitting more shots. Finding each other and finding good looks, 34-22 Tabor.
"In both the second and fourth quarters we were way more productive offensively. We got some really good play from our bench tonight. Alicia was fantastic and she really provided a spark that we needed. I also thought Kloe and Brooke gave us some positive minutes and they were forced to guard some difficult matchups when Southwestern went to a smaller lineup and I thought they both did well in those circumstances. We also shot free throws much better tonight which was good to see," exclaimed Reed.
The third quarter looked good for the Builders but still was slow for the Bluejays. After a few minutes went by the ladies finally pulled it back together, 52-40 Jays. After a slow beginning to the game, the fourth quarter looked more like the Lady Bluejay basketball team, winning 74-52.
Coach Reed said, "I want to compliment Southwestern on how hard they played. In my 25 years of coaching collegiate basketball, I cannot recall another team in their circumstances that has played that hard for 40 minutes. It is a testament to their players and coach and what she is trying to build."
"We will not be able to put forth that type of inconsistent effort at the offensive end if we hope to compete with an excellent Evangel team. They are talented, well-coached, and have been playing extremely well lately. It will be an important challenge for our team. We have a unique tip-off at 2 PM on Saturday and I want to encourage our fans to come out and support our team," finished Reed.
This win puts their record at 15-4 overall and 12-1 in conference. The Bluejays next game is at home in Hillsboro, Kansas on Saturday, January 27th at 2 p.m. taking on Evangel University.
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).
