TABOR: Sterling dispatches frostbitten Bluejays
Tabor buckles in second half to end seven-game win streak 65-61
BY RYAN RICHTER
Sports writer
Naysayers might be quick coining the 75-72 punch in the gut Sterling dealt the Bluejays back in Hillsboro, Dec. 5, a fluke.
Like it or not, the Warriors proved the victory in Hillsboro was no fluke, snapping Tabor's seven-game winning streak with a 65-61 gouge to the eyes Saturday night in Sterling.
Even a game-high 21 points from Brad Gattis or 12 from Scott Brubacher were not enough for Tabor.
Tabor drops to 11-8 on the season and falls one game in back of the Warriors in the KCAC at 6-4.
This one might be a little harder to digest than the first meeting with Warriors, despite both starters Micah Ratzlaff and Grant Brubacher being in the lineup then.
Both starters were dressed in street clothes for Saturday's game.
In the previous meeting, Tabor squandered a five-point halftime lead, probably a little easier to explain than what blowing a 38-25 halftime lead might be.
Not to mention the Bluejays lighting the Warriors up in the first half for 71 percent from the field and 75 percent from downtown.
Shooting 18 percent from the floor the second half like they did, it'd be hard enough for the Bluejays to beat a high school team much less a hard-nosed competitor like the Warriors.
But the field wasn't the only place the Bluejays had a hard time buying a bucket.
They sputtered at the foul line, hitting 16 for 25 for the game with 14 of 22 coming in the second half.
Sterling pressured the Bluejays' perimeter shooting harder the second half, cooling it off to one for 10 after going 6 for 8 through the first 20:00.
Physical play has done its share of getting to the Bluejays this season.
It did Saturday with the Warriors pounding the ball inside to Chris Kemp, who burned Tabor for 15 points and nine rebounds.
Inside was where the Warriors had their success the second half, shooting 67 percent from the field and 53 for the game.
And if it wasn't Kemp, it was Michael Moncrief and Luke Cureton with the duo scoring a game-high 17 points 12 rebounds and 13 points, respectively.
The Bluejays host the McPherson Bulldogs tonight in an 8 p.m. tipoff.
On Saturday, Tabor travels to Lindsborg for a rematch with the Bethany Swedes.
The Swedes surprised the Bluejays earlier this season in Hillsboro, 76-64, in one of the Bluejays worst outings shooting from the field.
Kansas Wesleyan
Micah hobbled off the court early in the second half of Saturday night's contest against the visiting Kansas Wesleyan Coyotes and never returned to action.
Still the Bluejays, behind a team-high 18 points from Scott Brubacher, 16 points each from Gattis and Jeremiah Randall and 14 from Tyson, were enough to knock out the Coyotes, 90-72.
"I think overall I was pleased," Don Brubacher said. "If you have a player of Micah's ability, who almost suddenly disappears for almost the entire second half, there are a lot of teams that just would have folded, figuring it's not going to work tonight."
The first of Scott Brubacher's five triples finally got the Bluejays over the hill at the 13:43 point in the first half, 11-9, and Tabor was in the driver's seat the rest of the way.
Tabor ended the first half on a 13-4 run to go up 42-29 at the break, shooting a lights out 59 percent from the floor.
But as usual, the Bluejays engine started cutting out in the first 10:00 of the second half with KW gaining on them.
"I was not pleased with some of our play early in the second half at all," said Don Brubacher. "We played poorly at the start of the second half before Micah went out and we continued to play poorly. We really struggle getting started the second half."
Matt Crist eroded the Bluejay lead to 52-49 with a three.
The Coyotes pulled to within two twice in a span of 2:25 in the second half but never really posed a true threat again.
Attribute that to Tabor's white-hot 57 percent shooting overall and 52 from behind the arc.
