Lady Jays get revenge on Southwestern Builders
No. 14 Tabor pays back 'Builders for early loss
By RYAN RICHTER
Sports writer
You had to figure the Lady Bluejays would have Saturday circled on their calendar — the day they could get another crack at the lone team responsible for denting the Bluejays conference record, the Southwestern Lady 'Builders.
In one of the Bluejays' three roughest conference games of the season, little went their way Dec. 2 in Winfield when they dropped a 62-60 heartbreaker to the 'Builders on a buzzer-beating shot.
No. 14 Tabor (14-3, 9-1 KCAC) proved the Dec. 2 loss was a fluke, getting retribution on the 'Builders Saturday in Hillsboro with a 65-57 victory.
After getting in a 30-22 hole at halftime to the 'Builders, Bluejay coach Rusty Allen knew his team had to cool off Southwestern's blistering perimeter shooting.
The 'Builders stung Tabor for 50 percent from long range and 41 from the floor while holding the Bluejays to an icy 28 percent overall.
"At halftime we talked about making sure we guarded their three-point shooters better," Allen said. "I said you've just got to come out betting they're going to shoot the ball just as well and we've got to take that three-point shot away and see if they've got anything else.
"As it turned out, the rest of their game kind of faltered when we took the three-point shot away."
Tabor was up 10-7 after Erica Hemmert drained a three with 12:09 left in the first half.
Then the Bluejays gave up 10 unanswered points as the Builders' perimeter shooting heated up to give them a 17-10 lead nearly 3:00 later.
Ileana Perez and Whitney Corley combined to burn the Bluejays for 6-of-11 from downtown and 34 points.
Staci Herman was determined to see to it the Bluejays wouldn't drop a second game to Southwestern.
She, too, caught fire from outside, hitting 3-of-5 to help finish with a season-game-high 21 points.
Her three at the 8:02 mark triggered a 10-0 run for Tabor that gave it a 20-17 lead with just inside 5:00 left.
"Staci Herman was amazing on the offensive end of the court," said Allen. "They were good plays, they were solid plays, and they were within the framework of what we're trying to do. She was just being a team player and she took advantage of every opportunity she had.
"We thought she was a scoring point guard and that was something we lacked."
But Southwestern outscored the Bluejays 13-2 the final 5:00 to grab the 30-22 lead at the break with Corley's 12 points leading all scorers.
Donya Anderson finished with a double-double of 12 points and 11 rebounds to help edge the Builders, 36-35, battling for the boards.
Her basket with 2:22 left was the final field goal the Bluejays could get to fall.
Jill Hein and Hemmert each added 10 points with Hemmert also grabbing eight rebounds.
Hein and Herman combined to score the Bluejays' first 14 points of the second half.
Struggling through the first half, hitting 2-of-8 from the three, the second half was the Bluejays' turn to burn the nets with 56 percent.
Hein's basket with 16:38 left capped a 7-2 run for the Bluejays to regain the lead, 33-32.
Southwestern's Karah Covey answered :18 later, before Hein sunk the go-ahead three.
Up 36-34, Tabor never looked back despite the 'Builders cutting the lead to 38-36 with just over 15:00 remaining.
Behind red-hot 53 percent shooting, the Bluejays put the game out of reach as the 'Builders went more than 5:00 without a basket.
Anderson scored on a fast-break, sparking an 11-0 run for the Bluejays.
Nicole Ellis' basket with 5:00 to go gave the Bluejays their largest lead of the game, 61-44.
The Bluejays took Corley out of the equation the second half, holding her to six points.
Without her, the 'Builders had to rely on Perez, who scored 10, and Angie Jones.
Tabor's defense really hassled Southwestern the second half, coughing up 10 turnovers that led to 21 points for the Bluejays.
"We defended their post play a lot better," Allen said of the contrast between the two games. "The last game they really got us in trouble in the post, got us in foul trouble and everything. Tonight, they had eight points in the post."
The win still leaves the Bluejays in a two-way tie for first with the Friends Falcons.
After tonight, only one will have sole possession of first as the Bluejays travel to Wichita for a 6 p.m. game with the Falcons.
Tabor then makes a long trek northeast to Leavenworth Saturday to take on winless St. Mary at 5 p.m.
Herman named KCAC Player-of-the-Week
Tabor College freshman Stacie Herman, Derby, was named Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) women's basketball player-of-the-week for Week No. 3 of the winter season.
During the week, Herman, a 5-6 guard, had 43 points, 11 rebounds, nine assists and five steals in match ups against Newman University, Bethany College and Sterling College.
Her stats for the week are as follows: 43 points (14.3 ppg avg.); 11 rebounds (3.7 rpg); nine assists; five steals; 14/23 field goals 60.9 percent (4/6 treys made/att.); and 11/16 free throws (68.8 percent).
