TABOR: Warriors too much for Lady 'Jays
Lady Warriors
whip Tabor 78-58
BY RYAN RICHTER
December 5, 2002 is a date that could live in infamy for many years to come for the Lady Bluejays.
For on that date, they were just four points away from pulling off one of the biggest upsets in school history against then second-ranked Sterling in Hillsboro.
The Bluejays, despite a rugged first half, pushed the Lady Warriors to the brink before falling short, 64-61.
Heading into Saturday's game, this time at Sterling, the Bluejays and coach Rusty Allen knew it was mandatory to match the first game's performance if they were to stun the now fourth-ranked Warriors.
With pair of back-to-back losses, the Warriors' confidence level might appear to be low, possibly making them easy targets for another upset.
Not for a team shooting 38 percent from the field such as Tabor did.
After taking an early 4-1 lead, the Bluejays fell behind and never recovered, tumbling 78-58.
The loss leaves Tabor at 10-10 overall and 5-5 in the KCAC.
Through four years, Warrior All-American Kristina Barrow has made it a habit of wreaking havoc on the Bluejays.
Barrow made her final game against the Bluejays a memorable one, becoming the Warriors all-time leader in scoring with a 26-point outing.
Tabor countered with a team-high 22 points and nine rebounds from Casey Stucky, followed by Angela Kroeker's 11 points.
In their last two games, the Bluejays have stressed getting other players driving to the basket other than just Stucky and LaTasha Townsend making for more balanced scoring.
Against the Warriors, only eight Bluejays managed to get into the scoring column.
Tabor gets a rematch with the visiting McPherson Lady Bulldogs tonight in a 6 p.m. tip-off before traveling Saturday to Lindsborg for a rematch against the KCAC front-runner Bethany Swedes.
Saturday's game is slated for 5 p.m.
Kansas Wesleyan
The Bluejays made Allen's birthday all the more special Saturday in Hillsboro, mauling the Coyotes, 64-36, again using balanced scoring.
"I think we really built off that again tonight," Allen said speaking of his players taking it to the basket. "Early in the year, when we would get offensive opportunity, we would ignore it. We've rally worked hard in practive on breakdown drills that force us not to ignore offensive opportunity at the basket. I feel like we are really starting to take advantage of that.
"It's pretty unusual to have 13 people score in a game."
The biggest thing the Coyotes did was score five unanswered points to take a 5-2 lead 3:40 into the game, forcing the Bluejays to miss a number of easy buckets.
Allen remedied that by pulling his starters, turning to his bench for help.
Erica Hemmert supplied Tabor's next five points and it never looked back, stretching its lead to 33-16 by the break, holding the Coyotes to a putrid 20 percent from the floor.
Off from nearly everywhere on the floor, KW must have been shooting with a medicine ball, hitting 24 percent for the game.
Hemmert was one of two Bluejays to finish in double figures with 10 points, seven coming in the first half.
Stucky scored a game-high 16, tying Amber McKillip and Shannon Kroeker with team-highs five rebounds.
"We were sort of a matter-of-fact team tonight," said Allen. "That's a sign of a team that is starting to gain some maturity and that's something we've been missing."
