HILLSBORO, Kan. — The Bluejays are back home after being on the road at Oklahoma Wesleyan University. On Wednesday, Feb. 14th, the ladies hosted rival Bethel College.
Head Coach Shawn Reed said, "It was a typical rivalry game with Bethel. Both teams played hard and points were hard to acquire. Coach Lamar is doing a really good job with his team and I thought Bethel played well and exhibited fight the entire game."
"Honestly, I felt like our effort was solid but there were times it ebbed and flowed. We would get two stops in a row and not get a third. We seemed satisfied with trading baskets and I felt like we were really playing with fire. In the end, we made enough plays to win but I don't think we felt 100% satisfied with our effort," continued Reed.
The starters for the Bluejays were Hendricks, Werth, Beam, McCoy, and Owens.
Coach Reed started with, "Defensively we struggled in the first quarter. Bethel ran some new actions that we hadn't seen and it took a little bit for us to make some adjustments. In the second quarter, we guarded a lot better but we did defend at the three-point line and that really hurt us. I was pleased that we created 10 turnovers in the first half and that we only gave up one offensive rebound but there were enough mistakes that Bethel was able to keep our lead manageable."
It was a fast first quarter for the Bluejays and the Threshers. The Bluejays were taking their time and hit the long shots, 20-14."We played really well in the first quarter offensively. I thought the ball was moving and we were able to connect on some three-point shots early in the contest that helped us get going. We only had five turnovers in the first half which is good but a couple of those turnovers led to easy transition buckets for Bethel," said Reed.
The Threshers picked it up in the second quarter and played better defense against the Bluejays. However, Tabor never let up and went to the line multiple times this quarter, 35-24. Reed said, "In the second quarter we really struggled offensively. The majority of our points came at the free-throw line. Thankfully our defensive efforts were strong enough to expand our lead a little despite our inability to score points."
The third quarter was a little scrappy for both teams as Tabor tried to pull ahead to a bigger lead and Bethel tried to make it a closer game,44-36. "The third quarter was even worse offensively. We had way too many turnovers and we struggled with some double teams we were seeing in the post. Our defense was okay in that quarter but we lost that quarter 9-12 which was disappointing," mentioned Coach.
Bethel was having a good run in the fourth quarter to cut their deficit but just wasn't enough to beat the Bluejays, 57-48. "Our offensive productivity improved in the final quarter but we struggled to pull away as we again traded baskets, struggled from the free-throw line, and committed a few too many turnovers," explained Reed.
Coach Reed said, "We had very even scoring tonight and that is one of the strengths of our team. For a lot of teams not having any players in double figures would probably lead to a loss but we have enough offensive depth that we are able to have that scenario and still win. I think that is a testament to our depth and also our collective defensive effort."
"I thought Madie, Teegan, and Kass all shot well from behind the three-point line. Ja'Neysha and Miyah did a great job of handling pressure and they both took care of the basketball. We also rebounded well as a team," expressed Coach.
"We have a huge game with Friends on Saturday. Friends is playing as well as any team in our conference and they are playing with a ton of confidence. Coach Jaderston has done a really nice job this year of blending experienced forwards with a whole new set of perimeter players. As the season has progressed you can see their chemistry and unity build and grow. We will have to play an excellent game if we hope to compete with such a solid team," finished Reed.
The Bluejays are now 21-4 overall and 18-1 in the KCAC. The ladies will take on Friends University for their senior night on Saturday, Feb. 17th at 5 p.m.
Be sure to stay updated 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).
