Lady Bluejays suffer freeze-out in Ottawa loss
BY RYAN RICHTER
Sports writer
Heading into Saturday night's contest at Hillsboro against the Ottawa Lady Braves, the Bluejays and Coach Rusty Allen set a goal for themselves — reducing their turnovers to 14.
That was one goal that Tabor nearly managed to achieve, finishing just one over their goal.
But handling the ball wasn't quite as much of a burden as what finding the basket seemed to be — for both teams.
Amazingly enough, it was Ottawa that came out on top taking into consideration the shooting slump that both teams suffered through.
Up 43-40 with 3:20 left in the game, an 8-0 run in a 2:20 span was enough for the Braves to push them past Tabor, 53-43.
Despite the fact that the Bluejays showed improvement in the terms of turning over the ball, better offensive execution and a 22-point lift from their bench, it was hard not to look past the poor shooting.
Was it ever poor. The Bluejays hit a season-low 26 percent while the Braves mustered a slightly better 28 for the game.
If things could get any worse for the Bluejays than they were already, two of the KCAC's top scorers and one of its leading rebounders, Rachelle Speers, Angela Kroeker and Becky Jons all fouled out.
"There were a couple of things for our team that really tied our hands," said Allen. "When you have Rachelle and Angela in foul trouble, your hands are tied.
"What we would have liked to have done was go after them some and try to create some easy offense off of our defense, but we couldn't afford to do it because we were in foul trouble. We couldn't take that chance. We needed them on the court."
Speers and Kroeker finished with a team-high 11 and three points playing 17:37 and 22:05, respectively.
After playing a good second half two nights earlier at Hillsboro against the third-ranked Sterling Warriors, it was apparent that the Bluejays were winded.
"There was no doubt about that," said Allen of his team's fatigue.
They started the game off on the wrong foot, going the first 5:00 with just three points as Ottawa built a 10-3 lead.
Due to Kroeker, Speers and Jons' foul trouble, Allen was forced to utilize his bench.
Jessica Prock and Kathryn Troutt provided the Bluejays with a big spark off the bench. Prock scored 10 huge points, and Troutt tied Speers as the Bluejays' leading scorer.
As rough as the shooting was for Tabor, Allen was pleased with his team's 22-7 edge in production by his bench.
"Jessica's minutes have been pretty limited," he said. "Last game she played better, and she's been practicing harder. She earned herself an opportunity, and as it turned out tonight, we had to go to her.
"What I was encouraged by was that she was ready. Without her playing coming off the bench, we wouldn't even have come close."
Trailing by as many as nine once in the game's first 18:37 of play, a pair of free throws from Prock cut Tabor's deficit to 25-24 with 1:33 left in the first half.
Prock scored the last six of Tabor's 26 first half points, but a 6-2 run in the closing 1:33 by the Braves put them up at intermission, 31-26.
Ottawa was 50 percent both from the floor and behind the arc while Tabor was 38 percent overall despite shooting a ragged 2 of 11 from downtown.
Then Tabor's air conditioner must have been cranked to full blast for the second half.
The two teams combined for a frigid 11 percent with Ottawa shooting a miserable 2-for-24 from the field the second half as Tabor was a cool 4-for-28.
Five consecutive points from Speers and Tabor was back within two, 33-31, 2:11 into the second half.
The Bluejays pulled to two three times the second half, but the difficulty buying a basket kept them from ever getting over the hill.
Speers' field goal at the 17:49 mark, which cut the game to two, was the last time Tabor could hit a field goal for the next 7:58.
Kroeker finally ended the drought just over midway through the second half.
During that span, the six points from Ottawa came courtesy of an 18-of-22 performance at the free throw line.
With just two field goals in the second half, the Braves relied on their foul shooting to preserve the win.
As a result of Jons eventually fouling out too, the Bluejays' rebounding suffered a hard hit as they were outdone, 50-36.
Finishing with six rebounds, Jons got support from Amber McKillip's team-high nine.
The 6-11 Bluejays travel to Salina tonight to take on the Kansas Wesleyan Coyotes before returning home Saturday to host Bethel. Tabor then treks southeast Monday to Leavenworth to face St. Mary.
Sterling
Although Halloween is three months past, Allen and the Bluejays got a horrifying first 10:00 of action Thursday night against the third-ranked Warriors to eventually fall, 67-43.
The game came unraveled on Tabor in the first half as the Bluejays fell behind by 31-10, shooting a frigid 22 percent.
But the real scare came from the Warriors' Kristina Barrow, who scorched Tabor with a game-high 32-point 13-rebound night.
Unlike any team has been able to do yet this season and in the Bluejays' first half, Sterling looked vulnerable in Thursday's second half.
Excluding the fatal first half, Tabor hung right with the Warriors the second half getting narrowly outscored 36-33.
The Bluejays improved their woeful 22 percent shooting in the first half to 48 the second, and Carmen Hein and Speers each finished with a team-high eight points.
McKillip had seven, and Jons scored six while pulling down a team-high seven rebounds.
Ottawa 53, Tabor 43
Ottawa — Mandy Smith 11, Emily Hainey 2, Angela Harger 6, Amber McGinnis 4, Angie Schwalm 5, Amber Westerman 11, Angie Bandstra 14, Totals 13-46 4-14 23-31 53.
