by HILLSBORO, Kan. Playing the same team twice in three days isn’t an easy task, especially when it is a team that is very talented and one that just beat you a few days earlier. Tabor knew coming in they would need to play better than they did at McPherson on Monday. Tabor pulled away in the end to earn a tough home victory, 59-55.
To say Tabor had a slow start on the offensive end would be a gross understatement. Having more turnovers than points for the majority of the period, Tabor’s first bucket did come until four minutes had run off the clock. Sammy Jo Peterson (SR/Cottonwood Falls, Kan.) found an open Kasey Rice (Pawnee Nation) in the corner for a three, cutting McPherson’s lead in half at 8-4.
The Bluejays continued to rely on the three ball as it was Peterson’s turn to cash in from deep when she took an Ashtyn Wiebe (JR/Elbing, Kan.) pass and connected for Tabor’s second three of the quarter. Tabor’s next possession saw them take their first lead of the night (9-8), scoring inside when Hannah Gilmore (SR/Cedaredge, Colo.) found Alyvia Owens (FR/Hutchinson, Kan.) down low.
The Bulldogs bounced backed, ending the quarter on an 8-1 run, taking a 16-9 lead into the second 10 minutes of play.
With 5:12 left in the second quarter, Lexi Wall (SO/Mounds, Okla.) got the Bluejays even with a corner three of her own. Laney Scott (SO/St. George, Kan.) put Tabor ahead once again (21-19) when she scored at the rim with just over three minutes left in the opening half.
McPherson used a quick 7-0 run to once again finish strong at the buzzer, sending the teams into the break with the visitors ahead 26-21.
Each team committed 16 turnovers in the first half. The Bluejays could only manage shooting at a rate of 23% over the first 20 minutes of action.
“Obviously we struggled mightily in the first half” said Head Coach Shawn Reed. “We shot 23% from the floor and had 16 turnovers and those turnovers led to a large majority of McPherson’s points. We also gave up six offensive rebounds in the first half, which led to more possessions for Mac.”
The third quarter looked to be a replay of the first half as McPherson committed two turnovers and Tabor one to start the opening three possessions. After McPherson pushed their lead to eight points (29-21), Kasey Rice started to warm up as Julissa Garcia (JR/Ponca City, Okla.) found her open for one of her team high four assists. Rice hit twice more from beyond the arc in the third period, keeping Tabor within striking distance.
It was the Bluejays’ turn to close out the quarter strong, narrowing the lead to just one possession (40-38) as the horn sounded to end the third period.
Rice grabbed an offensive rebound and cashed it in to start the final quarter, pulling Tabor even at 40 on their opening possession. Zoe Shieldnight (JR/Gore, Okla.) put Tabor out front 43-42 just under a minute into the final frame.
The teams battled back and forth with Tabor regaining the lead (50-49) on Peterson’s drive to the hoop. The Bulldogs used a traditional three-point play on their next possession to reclaim the lead (51-50). Garcia’s final two assists of the evening proved critical to Tabor’s win. Peterson hit another corner three and Shieldnight gave Tabor a 57-53 lead inside, both courtesy of Garcia.
Shieldnight would score again with 10 seconds remaining, giving Tabor their final margin of victory, 59-55.
“In the second half, we finally got the ball moving and we were able to get better looks from the perimeter and in the paint” reflected Reed. “We still had more turnovers than we would like but our execution and efficiency was much better.”
The play of a few individuals caught Reed’s eye. “Kasey Rice and Sammy Jo Peterson had excellent nights offensively. Zoe Shieldnight did a good job inside in the second half and was able to knock down some big free-throws for us.”
Team play on the defensive overall pleased Reed, especially on Brittany Roberts, the KCAC and NAIA reigning player-of-the-week. “I thought we played solid defensively tonight. We held Brittany Roberts to 10 points and our entire group did a good job of guarding her. She is an excellent player and to hold her to 10 points was really impressive and a key to our victory.”
Reed will take the win in the midweek contest. “It was a really gutsy and gritty win over an athletic and talented McPherson team. The difficulty was magnified by the fact we were playing each other for the second time in 48 hours.”
The win brings Tabor’s overall record to 11-6, while their conference mark improves to 10-5.
