Lady Bluejays fall short against Bethany
Tabor self-destructs in second half
of 62-55 loss
BY RYAN RICHTER
Sports writer
For the third time this season, the Lady Bluejays had an NAIA Div. II top-five team on the ropes.
Of course they were also league foes, the ranking threw a legitimate scare at Sterling and Bethany.
Bethany appeared on the verge of routing the Bluejays Saturday night in Lindsborg late in the second half.
The third-ranked Swedes would have had it not been for a 10-0 Bluejay run in the game's final 4:30 which made for a close 62-55 Bethany victory.
The loss leaves Tabor squared at .500, 11-11 overall and 6-6 in the KCAC.
"We lost our confidence there for a while," Bluejay coach Rusty Allen said of his team's collapse in the early stages of the second half. "I think that is a sign that this team has just got to get a big win so we know that we can do it. But I'm really proud of them and our attitude we brought into the game."
Tabor had the Swedes down twice in the first half after baskets by Erica Hemmert and Angela Kroeker, holding Bethany to 41 percent shooting.
Hitting 46 percent from the floor the first half, the Bluejays were outscored 6-0 in the final 3:00 as Jodi Strathman canned a pair of key triples that sent Bethany in at halftime up 32-26.
Rachelle Wertenberger wilted the Swedes' lead to 34-32, missing the chance to pull to within one with a three-point play.
For 20:00, the Bluejays kept the Swedes' Jill Nech in check with four points.
Just over 3:00 into the second half, the 6'2" Nech's alarm went off.
In a 1:00 span, Nech scored six consecutive points to push Bethany's lead to 38-32.
"For about 8:00, we couldn't find an answer for Nech," Allen said. "We couldn't take her out of the game."
Casey Stucky scored a team-high 15 points, three coming on a three-point play that erased the Bethany lead to 43-40, the closest Tabor could ever get again.
But Nech had yet to inflict the most damage on Tabor.
With the Swedes up 49-45 with 9:00 left in the game, Nech had her biggest outburst, triggering a 13-0 run.
All six baskets of Bethany's baskets came off Tabor mistakes, and Nech supplied the Swedes with six consecutive points to finish with a game-high 20 and nine rebounds.
Tabor went nearly 6:00 without a basket, allowing the Swedes to stretch their lead as far as 62-45 with 4:30 to go.
But the Bluejays refused to go down for the count as LaTasha Townsend ignited a 10-0 run which made for the 62-55 final.
"Our players tonight gave everything they had," Allen said. "They're spent, really spent mentally and physically. I think we'll bounce back though.
"If we can come out with the determination that we came out with the last two games and the confidence, we stand a legitimate chance at winning every game we have left in the regular season."
The Bluejays host the Bethel Lady Threshers tonight in Hillsboro with game time at 6 p.m.
Tabor then travels Saturday to Ottawa for a 5 p.m. rematch with the Lady Braves.
McPherson
The biggest mystery after the game was whether the same McPherson Lady Bulldog team that visited Hillsboro Jan. 30 was the same one that stunned then second ranked Sterling, Jan. 18.
With the ease the Bluejays handled McPherson, questions were raised if the visitors were the Lady Warriors' junior varsity team.
That was about what the Bulldogs looked like against the Bluejays, getting demolished, 76-41.
Tabor dominated the Bulldogs in every aspect of the game, from pulling down a season-high 57 rebounds to getting a season-best 34 points from its bench.
Stucky scored a game high 12 points and nine rebounds while Amber McKillip added 11 points and Angela Kroeker nine.
Shannon Kroeker and Carmen Hein each added eight.
Up 31-20 to start the second half, the Bluejays soon blew the lid off outscoring the Bulldogs 45-21 while holding them to a cold 13 percent from the floor and 20 for the game.
The Bluejays found out last season how lethal the Bulldogs' perimeter shooting can be.
Hitting 13 percent on two of 15 raised yet another question on the Bulldogs' identity.
Tabor turned in one of its better outings from the field, drilling 55 percent the second half and 43 on the night.
Tabor 55, Bethany 62
Tabor 26 29 — 55
Bethany 32 30 — 62
Total points — A. Kroeker, 4; C. Hein, 2; Hemmert, 8; J. Hein, 3; Stucky, 15; S. Kroeker, 11 McKillip, 2; Townsend, 4; Rodrigues, 2; Wertenberger 4.
Steals — C. Hein, 2; Hemmert, 2; J. Hein, 3; Stucky, 2; S. Kroeker, 1; Townsend, 1.
Rebounds — A. Kroeker, 5; C. Hein, 1; Hemmert, 4; J. Hein, 3; Stucky, 6; Wertenberger, 1; S. Kroeker, 3; McKillip, 1; Townsend, 2.
Assists — A. Kroeker, 2; C. Hein, 2; Hemmert, 1; J. Hein, 2; Stucky, 2; Rodrigues, 1; Wertenberger, 1.
