The Tabor College men’s basketball team went 1-1 in its final non-conference tune-up games at the Central Missouri State tournament held in Warrensberg, Mo. over the weekend.

The Bluejays lost 92-46 in a difficult matchup against the hosts Friday, and won a more manageable game against Central Bible by a score of 68-64 on Saturday.

Central Missouri—Tabor got off to a strong start on defense, forcing misses on each of Central Missouri’s first four possessions.

Aaron Whitelaw gave the Jays a 2-0 lead 109 seconds into the game, but Central Missouri gained the lead for good 1:08 later, when Carvelle Taylor put in a 3-pointer off a pass from Josiah Miller.

Miller assisted on two more quick baskets, giving the hosts an 8-2 lead with 16:42 to play.

That lead mushroomed to 29-9 over the course of the next 8:54. With 7:48 left in the half, Whitelaw took a pass from Jared Hett and knocked down a jumper.

Tabor put together another set of four defensive stops, and Whitelaw notched a layup at 5:40 to mark the first time all evening that the Bluejays a pair of baskets without Central Missouri intervening with a score of their own.

Tabor crossed into double-digits when Kyle De Blonk drilled a 3-pointer with 4:04 to go, making it a 34-12 deficit.

The halftime score was 44-21, and 21 points was the closest Tabor could get.

The Bluejays put together one of their better sequences with just under 12:00 to go in the game. Whitelaw kicked off a 6-0 run, stripping the ball from Fred Dudley and throwing in a layup. After a stop, Zach Vanselow drew a shooting foul an d scored two free throws. Another stop led to a jumper by Thomas with 10:22 to go.

The run did stalled, and Central Missouri ran its lead to 51 points in the final minute.

De Blonk finished with 12 points on 3 for 7 from the floor and 2 for 3 from 3-point range.

Whitelaw scored 10 points and Orson Thomas caught 10 rebounds in the game.

Central Bible—After Jared Hett tied the game at 11-11 with a tip-in basket 6:27 into the game, Central Bible put together an 9-0 run. Tabor then made it a 17-20 deficit with 6-0 run, after which Central Bible scored 10 straight points on their way to carrying a 38-26 lead into intermission.

Tabor played a more determined game in the second half, controlling the paint and putting together an 11-4 spurt out of the gate.

Momentum swung in Tabor’s favor, and the Jays put together an 8-2 run that knotted the score at 55-all with 7:01 to go. The run began with Aaron Whitelaw burying a 3-pointer at 8:10 and ended with Whitelaw nailing another to knot the game.

Tabor led briefly twice down the stretch. After finishing off a pair of foul shots precipitated by a string of three straight offensive rebounds, Whitelaw converted a steal by Jared Hett into a fast break layup with an assist to Zach Vanselow at 5:07.

Whitelaw scored again at 3:54 and put the Bluejays in the driver’s seat for good with 37 seconds left.

Whitelaw and Orson Thomas combined to make 4 of 5 foul shots in the closing seconds to slam the door.

Whitelaw led all scorers with 23 points. Thomas scored 9, and Jordan Funk and Vanselow scored 8 points each.

Coming—Tabor (2-6) meets Bethany (2-5) at 8 p.m. Thursday in Hillsboro. The Bluejays visit McPherson (4-2) 7 p.m. Saturday.

Write Comment

Please keep the topic of messages relevant to the subject of the article. Personal verbal attacks will be deleted. Please don't use comments to plug your web site. Such material will be removed. Just ensure to *Refresh* your browser for a new security code to be displayed prior to clicking on the 'Send' button. Keep in mind that the above process only applies if you simply entered the wrong security code.
Name:
Title:
Comment:
Code:*

Powered by AkoComment Tweaked Special Edition v.1.4.6