Lady Jays claim 16th straight years ago
No. 6 Tabor thwarts Southwestern's bid
at upset, 62-41
By RYAN RICHTER
Sports writer
Giving up speed and quickness to the Lady Bluejays, one of the best chances the Southwestern Lady 'Builders had at handing Tabor its first league loss of the season was to dictate the pace of the game.
Get into a 90-foot track meet with the Bluejays, buckle up for a bumpy ride.
That worked to the 'Builders advantage for about 20:00 Saturday night in Hillsboro with Tabor coming off a hard-fought 61-58 win over rival Sterling two days earlier.
Twenty minutes isn't long enough against a team like the Bluejays, though.
In the end, the Bluejays (19-3, 11-0 KCAC) had too many weapons for Southwestern, using a big second half to roll to their 16th consecutive win, 62-41.
"It was one of our better games of the season," Bluejay coach Rusty Allen said. "Southwestern's a team that plays more of a half-court game and we focus more on getting the ball up and down the court and getting it inside.
"We were able to take them out of what they wanted to do offensively. We had a great game defensively."
With the bulls-eye painted smack-dab on the Bluejays' backs, Allen and his team knows better than to take anybody lightly.
The 'Builders proved why they're a dangerous team, sticking with the Bluejays the first half with four lead changes and eight ties.
Tabor tried getting the ball inside to 6-foot-3 post Emily Vogts, but Southwestern only allowed her six points through the first 20:00.
Trailing 27-26 with just over 3:00 left in the first half, Tabor got four straight points from Nicole Ellis to help regain the lead for the game during a 7-0 run.
Southwestern went the last 4:00 of the first half without a basket that allowed the Bluejays to climb in front at halftime, 31-27.
Shooting under 30 percent from the floor, it was the 'Builders 40 percent from outside and a near-perfect nine-for-10 at the free-throw line that kept them in the game.
Not to mention the Bluejays having trouble all night with carelessness with the ball, despite hitting over 50 percent of their shots the first half and going seven-for-eight at the line.
But Tabor's smothering defense didn't give the 'Builders anything easy, holding them to a ragged 25 percent for the game.
With the 'Builders still hanging around to start the second half, down 41-35, Vogts scored on a fast-break to spark a 10-0 run that put the 'Builders down for the count.
Vogts warmed up the second half, scoring eight points to finish with a game-high 14 on 50 percent shooting.
In just over 6:00, things went from bad to worse for Southwestern as its deficit stretched from six points to 58-38 with Jill Hein helping out by knocking down back-to-back threes.
Hein capped off her KCAC Co-Player-of-the-Week outing scoring nine points, all from long range, after putting up a season-high 20 against Sterling.
Erica Hemmert chipped in 10 points, flushing two triples as the Bluejays burned Southwestern for 80 percent from behind the arc the second half.
Tabor hit a season-high 55 percent from outside, going six-for-11 with Hein a perfect three-for-three, and 49 percent from the floor.
While the 'Builders forced 22 turnovers for the Bluejays, it was Tabor that capitalized on the mistakes, using 21 for 23 points with Southwestern only getting nine.
Tabor faces two games on the road this week starting Thursday in McPherson with a 6 p.m. tip against the Lady Bulldogs.
The Bluejays then face a stiffer road test Saturday at 5 p.m. in an anticipated rematch against the Ottawa Lady Braves.
Sterling
Sparks generally fly anytime the Bluejays meet their archrival Sterling Lady Warriors and Thursday night was no different in Hillsboro.
With the Bluejays in a 28-16 jam at the half, Hein's 15 points the second half helped spark Tabor to a wild 61-58 win.
The Bluejays raced to a quick 8-5 lead in the game's first 5:48 before Tabor's engine conked out.
Sterling ripped off 14 straight points to take a 19-8 lead before the Bluejays cut it to 19-13.
Plagued by frigid 20 percent shooting on three-for-20, Tabor had to try and keep up at the free-throw line.
The Bluejays eventually had to earn a living at the line, going 29-for-37 and 19-of-23 the second half.
Tabor opened the second half with a 15-3 run to erode the lead to 31-30 with 14:51 left.
Pitching in with 11 points, Staci Herman's free-throws :37 later gave Tabor its first lead since there was 13:08 left in the first half.
Still, neither team could extend a lead with it being juggled 12 more times.
Finally, with just over 1:00 left, going 10-for-12 at the line, Hein sank a pair that broke the Warriors' backs.
Donya Anderson and Hemmert each had 10 points with Anderson and Hein hauling in a team-high five rebounds a piece.
