Lady Bluejays win fifth straight game
By RYAN RICHTER
Sports writer
Heading into Saturday night's game against the visiting Bethel Lady Threshers, execution was the biggest concern for Lady Bluejay coach Rusty Allen.
Execution was something that bit the Bluejays Dec. 11 in a 90-83 double-overtime loss to the Threshers in North Newton and something hasn't been consistent as of late.
For Saturday's first half, Tabor hardly looked like the same team that got a punch in the gut a little more than a month earlier.
But the second half was a different story.
Somehow, the Bluejays (133.0-9, 7-5 KCAC) found a way to knock out a 61-41 win for their fifth consecutive win, downing the Threshers.
"Offensively the first half we executed really well," Allen said. "But the second half, it took us 11 minutes before we settled and I don't think we ever really got into a rhythm of execution. What we ended up doing was beating them to the basket on some isolation type stuff."
The Bluejays never trailed at any point in the game, but the Threshers still made Tabor work for everything it got.
Rachelle Wertenberger scored a game-high 15 points, hitting 5-of-6 from the field and 2-of-3 from downtown.
She had a basket during a 6-0 run that helped put Tabor in front, 8-2, nearly 4:30 in.
As part of a balanced scoring assault for the Bluejays, Jill Hein chipped in 12 points.
Her three-point play with 6:16 to go in the first half again put Tabor up by double figures, 21-10, after the Threshers had come within two possessions of tying the game.
Tabor's execution the first half lead to good shots and the Bluejays burned the Threshers for 54 percent from the floor.
In the meantime, the Bluejay defense suffocated the opponent, holding them to a modest 30 percent shooting the first half and 34 percent for the night.
Hein sent the Bluejays in at the half up 33-17 after sinking a three from NBA range with :10 to go.
The Bluejay lead was jeopardized the second half as Tabor went several stretches with a scoring lapse intact.
Bethel outscored Tabor 15-6 to pull within 35-28, barely 5:00 into the second frame.
"That was something we talked about at half-time," Wertenberger said of Tabor's maintaining control of the game. "We were going to have to come out and play defense to win the game because you're not always going to be shooting the ball well. We knew we'd have to grind it out."
Tabor got impatient on offense, rushing its shots instead of working the ball for a good look.
That worked to the Threshers' advantage early on and helped them out-rebound the Bluejays, 40-31, and get within seven twice in the second half's first 11:30.
And as a result, Tabor cooled down to shooting 37 percent the second half, and 46 for the game.
The Bluejays got 10 points and a team-high eight rebounds from Jessica Vineyard in the process.
Erica Hemmert and Angela Kroeker rounded out the Bluejays' scorers in double figures with 10 each, with Kroeker dishing out a team-high four assists.
Wertenberger heated up in the game's final 8:00, scoring 11 points to put the game out of Bethel's reach.
"It was a sound win for us. It was a good win," said Allen. "It was an odd day with all the weather problems in the back of the players' minds. I know they wondered if we were going to even have a game.
"I think there were some distractions today and I am proud of our players and I thought we faced up to the distractions well."
The Bluejays face a daunting two-game road stretch starting at 6 p.m. tonight against top-15 Sterling.
On Saturday, Tabor travels west to McPherson for a 5 p.m. meeting with the floundering Lady Bulldogs.
Bethany
Revenge was sweet Thursday night for the Bluejays against the Bethany Lady Swedes in Hillsboro.
Revenge for 22 straight losses to the Swedes, something Tabor got by routing struggling Bethany, 61-37.
Tabor got off to a quick start, jumping out to an 8-0 lead on its way to doubling the Swedes over at intermission, 30-15.
Tabor never looked back, benefiting from a game-high 12 points from Jill Hein on 6-for-18 from the floor.
The Bluejays shot near 50 percent the second half for 44 percent for the evening, matching their largest lead of 24 once more before the final margin.
Tabor's smothering defense forced the Swedes into shooting a sub-par 36 percent and committing 20 turnovers that the Bluejays used for 31 points.
The only battle the Swedes narrowly won was out-rebounding Tabor, 31-30, despite a team-high five from Nicole Ellis.
