HILLSBORO, Kan. — After a win with rival Bethel College on Wednesday, Feb. 14, the Bluejays looked forward to extending their winning streak against the Friends Falcons on senior night, Saturday, Feb.17th.

Head Coach Shawn Reed said, "It was a fantastic victory by our team over a very talented Friends team that entered the game with a lot of confidence. I was very pleased that we were able to balance our aggression with poise. Friends wants to speed you up and there are times you can attack that pressure and there are times you can't. I thought our team did a fantastic job of finding that balance."

The starters for the Bluejays senior night included senior guard Ja'Neysha Hendricks, junior guards Teegan Werth and Kassidy Beam, senior guard/forward Madie McCoy, and senior Alyvia Owens. 

The first quarter for both teams went back and forth before either could score a basket. Both teams were playing hard to make the score 17-10. Coach Reed started by saying, "In the first quarter we started a little slow but we began to move the ball against their zone and find open three-point shots. Obviously, Lillie had an amazing first quarter connecting on 3 three-point shots. Defensively, I thought we did a good job in the opening quarter. We made a few mistakes on some personnel but overall we held them to 31% shooting from the floor which was positive."

The Bluejays found the openings the Falcons were leaving and took advantage to make the score 30-19 at the half. Reed shared, "We really struggled offensively in the second quarter except for the fact that we connected on 3 of 7 from behind the three-point line. Our defense was solid again in the second quarter and I was pleased we only gave up nine points. To carry a 30-19 lead into halftime was great but honestly I felt like we missed some opportunities to extend the lead."

The third quarter was scrappy for both the Bluejays and the Falcons. Playing hard defense the score moved to 44-33. "In the third quarter, our offense picked up a little and we found some more productivity. We didn't hit any three-point shots but we scored some in transition which was nice. Defensively, I thought we played well but we did allow them to hit two three's which was a significant part of their production that quarter,"  said Coach.

The Bluejays played hard and pulled out another win, 61-45. "Our best offensive quarter was the fourth. We shot 53% in the final ten minutes and I thought we did a great job of attacking their traps. To go the entire game with only 10 turnovers was tremendous and a big factor in the contest," Coach stated.

"One of the strengths of our team is our depth and that was evident again tonight. Our bench outscored Friends 32-5 including a 12-point performance by Lillie. Brooke also had a tremendous game for us scoring 8 points off the bench and Miyah also had a very productive night adding 6 points," continued Reed.

"I couldn't be more proud of our team for this important win but we have two more games left in the regular season and both are important in our pursuit of a championship. We play KWU next and they are playing very well. The last time we played them they had quite a few key players out with injuries. We will need to be very sound if we hope to be successful against them. Coach Showman does a great job and I know he will have them ready to play," exclaimed Coach.

Coach Reed stated, "Wednesday will be our final regular season home game so I hope people will come out and support our student-athletes. They have worked extremely hard this season and it would be awesome to have another great crowd!"

This win brings their record to 22-4 and 19-1 in the KCAC. The Bluejays last home game will be Wednesday, Feb. 21st in Hillsboro, Kansas at 6 p.m. against Kansas Wesleyan University. 

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 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).