TABOR: Bluejays oust first-place Bethel
Brubacher's 20 points helps Tabor men hang on against Bethel to win 68-65
BY RYAN RICHTER
Sports writer
Desperate people do desperate things.
Having a team that ranks second to the last in KCAC rebounding is something that's eaten at Bluejay coach Don Brubacher all year.
Regardless of a win or loss, the Bluejays' play on the boards has never been up the Bluejay coach's liking.
Getting hammered battling for the boards five days earlier in a humbling loss to the Bethany Swedes must have finally been the icing on the cake.
Bound and determined to turn the tides of a 43-24 margin five days earlier, Brubacher did something Feb. 6 against the red-hot league leading Bethel Threshers to try to solve that problem.
He got more use out his bigger lineup of Chris Myers, Derek Karber and Colby Bettles.
Coming up with two fewer rebounds will set better than 19, but nothing could take away Tabor's avenging a humiliating midseason loss to the Threshers with a 68-65 victory Thursday in Hillsboro.
The victory still leaves Tabor deadlocked in a three-way tie for third in the KCAC at 8-5 and 13-9 overall.
Combine the action the big trio has seen this year and it would barely last more than a half.
But the three got their due Thursday with Karber scoring a career-high 11 points and snagging three rebounds.
"We came to the conclusion that we have to base our decisions on personnel more on rebounding and less on other factors of the game," Brubacher said. "We've just struggled so badly with the rebounding and with our interior defense.
"We decided to address that and so we worked hard with three players that haven't played a lot of minutes, or even at all in some cases."
With the larger lineup on the floor, Tabor took it inside more, making for an improved 51 percent outing for the game.
One Bluejay who had to feel remorse for the 78-62 beating Tabor took in North Newton Dec. 14 was senior Scott Brubacher.
Much like the Bluejays' game all the way around then, Scott never got on track either, fouling out late after being saddled with a technical.
Scott, too, got his retribution, hitting the go-ahead three with :35 left to break a 63-63 tie and finish with a game-high 20 points.
Brad Gattis joined Karber and Scott Brubacher as double-figure scorers with 11 points. Micah Ratzlaff spurred the Bluejays' 31 rebounds, pulling down a game-high nine to go along with eight points and assists.
In the last meeting, the Threshers torched Tabor from downtown, hitting 42 percent for the game.
Hitting 40 percent the first half, the Threshers had the potential of making it another rugged night for the Bluejays' perimeter defense.
Surprisingly, neither Bethel or the Bluejays had a fantastic night from behind the arc with the two shooting an identical 32 percent.
"It's a good sign for us that we can play what has been through this point in the season clearly the best team in the conference and come away with a win when we shot the ball poorly from the perimeter," Don Brubacher said.
With neither team being able to pull away, the biggest lead either could mount was Tabor's 33-26 cushion with just over 4:00 left in the first half.
Bethel used a 10-3 run in the closing 4:20 to pull to within 36-35 at halftime.
The Bluejays went under briefly to start the second half, 37-36, before Karber put Tabor in control for good, 40 seconds in.
Tabor lead by as many as nine three times in the next 11:00 until the Threshers used a 6-0 run to close a 61-55 gap to 61-61 with 1:39 to go.
The Bluejays suffered a tough loss in the closing 1:00 as Tyson Ratzlaff sustained a severely sprained ankle.
Scott Brubacher forced the Threshers to hit a triple after draining a pair of free throws with :12 left.
Tabor's win was secured when the Threshers' three point attempt drew iron.
The Bluejays face a formidable test tonight in Winfield against the Southwestern Moundbuilders.
The Moundbuilders pulled off an upset Saturday, knocking the 23rd ranked Swedes down to 25 with a 80-70 surprise.
On Saturday, Tabor will host the St. Mary Spires in a 7 p.m. start.
Ottawa
The Bluejays endured another sorrowful Saturday night Feb. 8 in Ottawa, falling to the defending KCAC champion Braves, 71-69.
Ottawa took an early lead and never lead again until the Braves' Tony Porter scored the winning basket on a fast-break with :10 left.
Porter was again a thorn in Tabor's side, dumping a game-high double-double 23 points and 17 rebounds on the Bluejays.
If it wasn't rebounding biting the Bluejays, it was the free throw line where they hit a modest 57 percent on the night.
Karber, Micah Ratzlaff, Jeremiah Randall and Brad Gattis all grabbed a team-high five rebounds to help the Bluejays outdo Ottawa 40-39.
Micah scored a team-high 20 points, hitting 50 percent from both the field and from downtown and a perfect four-of-four at the line.
Scott Brubacher chipped in 16 with a quartet of triples and Gattis added another 11 point outing.
Hitting 47 percent from the field aided the Bluejays in taking a 37-30 lead at halftime.
But it was yet another lead for the Bluejays to fumble as they collapsed the second half.
Tabor cooled down to 39 percent shooting, Ottawa heated up to 49 and the Bluejays' turnovers added up to 14 points for the Braves.
Tabor 69, Ottawa 71
Total points: S. Brubacher 16; G. Brubacher 2; T. Ratzlaff 6; Randall 2; Gattis 11; M. Ratzlaff 20; Karber 8; Meyers 4.
Rebounds: S. Brubacher 3; G. Brubacher 2; T. Ratzlaff 4; Randall 5; Gattis 5; Schafer 3; M. Ratzlaff 5; Karber 5; Meyers 1.
Assists: S. Brubacher 2; G. Brubacher 2; Fast 2; T. Ratzlaff 2; Kopper 1; Randall 3; Gattis 1; M. Ratzlaff 2.
Steals: S. Brubacher 1; Fast 1; Randall 2; Gattis 1.
