HILLSBORO, Kan. – The Tabor College Men's Basketball team held their Senior Night this evening and played host to the Falcons of Friends University. The Bluejay men were coming off a tough loss to rival Bethel College on Wednesday, while the Falcons came in hoping to bounce back from a loss at No. 9 Southwestern College. The series between Tabor and Friends has been played since 1948 and is one of three longest standing series' for the Bluejays (Bethel and Sterling being the other two). The Bluejays were previously 2-8 in the last 10 meetings with the Falcons and looked to sweep the season series after getting a four-point win back in early January, 63-59.
 
The Bluejays recognized five seniors from the program this evening: James Aboaba, a forward from London, U.K., Kade Hemmert, a fifth-year guard from Oakley, Kan., Jordan Maxfield, a forward on the Reserve team from Fullerton, Neb., Tristan Reed, a Student Assistant Coach from Hillsboro, Kan., and Leon Srisamutr, a guard from Manchester, U.K. Each senior has impacted the program in their own unique way and Bluejay Nation will forever be grateful for them.
 
The Bluejays got on the board first with a nice play set up for a quick three from Srisamutr. The teams would trade buckets throughout most of the first half, but the Bluejays would find their chance to push their lead out with a bucket courtesy of Jack Voth to make the lead seven at the 1:44 mark. From there, Tabor would score six unanswered points to close out the half and would go into the locker room with a solid 13-point lead, 47-34. Thatcher McClure (14) led the Bluejays in scoring at the end of the first half, while Jaiden Miller had eight, Aboaba had seven, Voth and Kalep Crane each had six, and Srisamutr and Kreeland Avery finished out the half with three points each.
 
The Falcons would make sure that they stayed in the mix, cutting Tabor's lead to as little as eight points several times. The Bluejays, however, had other plans and quickly showed that those plans did not include the Falcons pulling closer to make it a game. The Bluejays would push their lead out to as many as 26 points in the second half and several players would have solid opportunities to make big plays for Tabor. The Falcons would try in vain to once again try to chip away at the deficit they faced, but would only get it down to 19 points, and the Bluejays would come away with the hard-earned victory on Senior Night. McClure (19), Aboaba (18), Voth (17), Crane (13), and Miller (11) would finish in double figures for Tabor. James Aboaba recorded his new career high in scoring with 18 points, while his previous career high was 17 points during the game at McPherson College last season. Srisamutr (9), Hemmert (8), and Avery (5) would round out the team in scoring. Bluejay fans got to see some new faces on the varsity squad for the first time when Langston Taylor and Drew Wertenberger took the floor, alongside veteran guard Zach Hiebert. 
 
"Well, that sure was a great way to celebrate senior night! I am so happy for Kade, James and Leon. These guys have given so much to this university, so this was the perfect celebration for them", said Head Coach Matt Warren. 
 
"Obviously, we really did some nice things on offense tonight, but our big runs came when we got stops. The last sixteen minutes of each half, we settled in defensively and strung stops together. I told the team before the game we have had our ups and downs this season, but this group has rose to the occasion when our back has been against the wall. We are striving every day to have consistency but this group has fight and I'm really proud of that. We will enjoy this right now and get back to work on Monday."
 
"I also want to thank Jordan Maxfield for his contributions to our program on and off the floor. He has helped every single day with our JV team even after getting hurt again. That is character and leadership. Finally, I have been blessed to have Tristan Reed on my staff. He does a tremendous job and I appreciate him so much."
 
The Bluejay men will finish out their home slate with a date with the Coyotes of Kansas Wesleyan University on Wednesday. The game will tip off at 8pm 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).