by PARK CITY, Kan. Tabor entered Monday’s contest trying to earn an automatic birth into the NAIA National Tournament. They knew it would be a tough task, facing the tournament’s number one seed and nationally ranked (#9) Sterling College Warriors. The two best teams in the conference put on a good show for 40 minutes. In the end, it was Sterling who outlasted Tabor by a final score of 86-78.
Kasey Rice (Pawnee Nation) started the game with a layup on Tabor’s opening possession. It would be a preview of what was to come for Rice, especially in the first half, as she poured in 20 points over the first 20 minutes of play.
Sammy Jo Peterson (SR/Cottonwood Falls, Kan.) knocked down her first three of the game to give Tabor an early 5-2 lead. The Bluejays looked good on both ends of the floor in the opening period. Leading by five (24-19) at the end of the quarter, Peterson’s hustle play saved a Warrior bucket, knocking the ball out-of-bounds with just a few seconds to go. Sterling’s last second shot misfired and Tabor took the 24-19 lead after one quarter of play.
“We got off to a great start in the first quarter offensively” commented Head Coach Shawn Reed. “We were able to get some great looks both in transition and in some of our halfcourt sets. Kasey Rice was shooting the ball extremely but we gave up some easy transition buckets that didn’t allow us to really form much of an advantage.”
After Tabor’s largest lead of the half came just seconds into the second period, Sterling’s offense started to get on track. The Warriors took a three point lead (29-26) with 5:53 left in the half. The fireworks started as Sterling tried to maintain a lead throughout the remainder of the half.
Rice had different plans as she took an Ashtyn Wiebe (JR/Elbing, Kan.) pass and connected form deep, tying the game at 29. Just a minute later it was Hannah Gilmore (SR/Cedaredge, Colo.)’s turn to find the junior guard as Rice nailed another three, knotting the game once again, this time at 32 apiece.
After a Warrior bucket, Rice connected again from beyond the arc as the shot clock expired, putting the Bluejays back in front 35-34 with 3:20 left.
Sterling would score the next four points to grab a three point advantage before Wiebe’s tough drive resulted in a bucket and a foul. Wiebe’s free throw was good and the scored was tied again, 38-38.
Once again Sterling gained a four point advantage and once again it would be Rice to the rescue as the shot clock went off. Julissa Garcia (JR/Ponca City, Okla.) found Rice at the last second and Rice proved true again, pulling Tabor back to within one (42-41).
Lexi Wall (SO/Mounds, Okla.) had a chance to tie the game at half when she heaved a three-quarter shot towards the rim. The ball just bounced off the front of the iron, and Sterling maintained a slim lead (44-41) at the break.
“In the second quarter, the tables turned and we had a period where we got a little tentative” replied Reed. “Sterling changes defenses a bunch and we had some empty possessions that hurt and our defense was not as solid.”
The first half saw both teams take good care of the ball and shoot lights out. Tabor shot 57% overall, 50% from beyond the arc and 66% from the line. Sterling countered with 57% overall, 50% from the three and 78% from the charity stripe.
Kasey Rice led all scorers with 20 points at the break.
Sterling jumped out to a five point lead (48-43) early in the third quarter, forcing Tabor to play catchup. Garcia would find Wiebe on the wing for a three, making it a one possession game at 48-46. The Warriors took the first double-digit lead (61-51) by either side with 4:11 to go in the third.
The quarter ended with Tabor down 68-57.
“I thought the third quarter mirrored the second quarter and we really dug ourselves a pretty deep hole but I was so proud of our team for not giving up and I thought we really played well down the stretch” said Reed.
The Bluejays started hot in the final period, scoring the first five points. The Warriors once again extended the lead to back out to eight points (78-70) before Gilmore found Peterson for another Bluejay triple.
Tabor once again got a stop when Peterson drew a charge on the defensive end. Laney Swink (JR/Fort Gibson, Okla.)’s jumper brought the score to 78-74 Sterling, but Tabor had the momentum shifted to them.
The Bluejays stole another Warrior pass and had a chance to pull closer on the next two possession, but a turnover of their own and a missed three on their next possession forced Tabor to settle with two empty trips.
Zoe Shieldnight (JR/Gore, Okla.)’s traditional three point play with just over three minutes to play pulled Tabor as close as one (78-77), but that would be a close as they would get. The Bluejays had a few more chances, but couldn’t pull ahead. Sterling made free throws down the stretch to earn the hard fought 86-78 victory.
Reed was extremely proud of the effort his squad put forth tonight. “I couldn’t be more proud of our team. We battled for 40 minutes and we made a great run late in the game to cut it to two points. Sterling made more plays than we did and they deserved to win. Kylah Comley is an amazing player and I thought both her and Theus made some very difficult mid-range jump shots tonight. Sterling hit shots when they needed to do so and we couldn’t get stops.”
Reed praised Rice for her play. “Kasey Rice was awesome tonight. She has improved a lot this year and she really started to find herself late this season! We are super excited to see what the future holds for her.”
“I thought our other four starters also had solid nights. Zoe Shieldnight was our only other player in double figures with 11 points and she led us with six rebounds on the night. Julissa Garcia had eight points and eight assists and Ashtyn Wiebe and Sammy Jo Peterson each hit two three point shots respectively which really helped us stay in the game.”
Reed was impressed with how Peterson turned her season around. “Sammy Jo really started to find her groove late in the season and I am proud of her for battling through a tough stretch earlier this season.”
The reserves have given the Bluejays a lot this season and tonight was no different. “Although we didn’t get as much scoring from our bench as normal, I felt each of those players battled and helped us immensely.”
Reed likes the strides his young group made and is looking forward to next season. “We made a lot of improvement this season and I am really looking forward to next year. We have already signed and got commitments from some excellent recruits and we are close on several others. We return a core group of players who should be hungry to build on the progress we made this season!”
Tabor’s overall record now stands at 19-8 as they wait to see if they can sneak into the field of 32 teams for the National Tournament.
