HILLSBORO, Kan. – The Tabor College Men's Basketball team hosted the Valor of Evangel University this afternoon. The Bluejays were coming off a rough night against a tough Southwestern College team, while the Valor were coming off a win at home against Friends University on Wednesday.
 
Both teams got off to an even start and by the 15:03 mark, it still looked like it would continue to be a close game, however the Valor would race to an 11 point lead by the 11:46 mark. The Bluejays would continue to try to chip away, but would find their deficit would grow to 18 points, before a three from James Aboaba at the 1:11 mark would send the Bluejays into the halftime break with just a 15 point deficit to come back from. The Bluejays would miss having Thatcher McClure, who missed the game do to an injury. The Bluejays would be led in scoring in the first half by Jack Voth, with seven points. Kade Hemmert, who got the nod to start in place of McClure, and Kenyon Holcombe, led the Bluejays in rebounds with four a piece.  
 
A three from Holcombe right out of the gate would bring the Bluejays within 12 points to start the second half. The Valor would answer and go on a prolonged scoring run and would lead by as many as 21. The Bluejays would bring it within 11, but would ultimately fall. Voth would lead Tabor in scoring with 22 points, while Jaiden Miller would have a career night, with 16. Hemmert and Kalep Crane would both finish with 11, Holcombe would have eight, Jake Proctor would have four, and Aboaba would have three.
 
Head Coach Matt Warren Had this to say about the contest, "Not the result we wanted tonight but I was proud of how hard our guys played in the second half. They fought all the way to the end and in the second half there were certainly some positives we can pull from. We just continue to get off to slow starts so that's something that has really plagued us. Obviously, the key for us offensively is always ball movement and that was night and day from the first half to the second half. Defensively, we have to get back to some basics and do a better job of keeping the ball out of the lane. It's never easy to play without a key player in your lineup but I thought some guys stepped up today and took a step forward."
 
The Bluejay men will be back on the road to take on the York University Panthers on Wednesday. The game will tip off at 8 pm and will be broadcast live on the KCAC Network.
 
Be sure to stay up to date with all information regarding Bluejay Athletics by following us on X at @gotaborbluejays, on Instagram and Facebook @taborbluejays, and on our official athletic website, taborbluejays.com
 
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).