SALINA, Kan. The Tabor Bluejays traveled to Wichita on Jan. 3rd to beat the Friends Falcons. A few days later, the ladies traveled in the other direction to face the Kansas Wesleyan University Coyotes, hoping to keep their winning streak alive. The Lady Bluejays did just that, winning 77-61.
The starting five for the 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 had this to say about the game, "I thought this was the best we have played since returning from Christmas Break and we definitely took some positive steps forward at both ends of the court. KWU is a tough place to play and they have a lot of experience so it was good to play well and earn a road win over a very strong team in our conference."
"Offensively, we had a very productive and efficient night. We had balanced scoring and I liked our shot selection. We had an advantage inside and I thought Alyvia and Kloe did a great job of taking advantage of opportunities on the interior. On the perimeter, Madie and Lillie were very productive and Madie was huge for us from behind the three-point line," Coach Reed said.
The first quarter set the game up with KWU staying in close reach to stay with the Bluejays, 19-14. The second quarter looked good for the Jays. They took the shots needed to lead, 40-27.
"I thought we did a great job of taking care of the basketball and I liked that we were able to score in transition and get to the free-throw line. Our team is capable of scoring in bunches and in a variety of ways so it was good to see us showcase that ability," stated Coach.
Continuing on to the flip side, Coach Reed said, "Defensively, our first three quarters were very solid but we let some things slip in the final 10 minutes. Our on-ball defense and our post defense lacked intensity and discipline in the fourth quarter but that is something we can work on moving forward."
The third quarter was looking promising for the Coyotes after going on an 8-point run to close the gap the Bluejays created. The ladies stopped the bleeding to make the score 57-39. After a short break, the fourth quarter looked good for the Lady Jays. Fast breaks and open shots were the reason for adding another win to their record, 77-61.
Coach Reed shared, "Our point guards fouled too much in the first half but we cleaned a lot of those mistakes up in the second half. Madie did a great job of rebounding on the defensive end for us but as a team, we still allowed too many offensive rebounds and we didn't get to some 50/50 balls to finish several defensive possessions. Overall, the defensive effort was solid and we held KWU to 37% shooting for the game and 29% from behind the three-point line."
"We are excited to play at home on Wednesday when we host McPherson. It has been over a month since we have played at home and I know we are looking forward to being back in Tabor Gym. Both games this week will be challenging. McPherson has a young team but they still have several experienced players who lead their team and their younger players are getting better every night out," exclaimed Coach Reed.
This game brings the Bluejays KCAC record to 8-0 and 11-3 overall. The ladies play on Wednesday, Jan. 10th at 6 p.m. against McPherson College at home in Hillsboro, 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).
