ORIGINALLY WRITTEN TOM STOPPEL
The Tabor College men were back in action Saturday night for the second half of the Golden Heritage Foods Holiday Classic but limped home on the short end of a 63-61 score.
Tabor trailed 33-27 at halftime and saw its deficit grow to as many as 11 points in the final 20 minutes before staging a late comeback.
Trailing 60-50 with just over four minutes remaining, Tabor went on an 11-1 run highlighted by back-to-back 3-point baskets from Pat Miller to knot the score at 61 with just 26 seconds left to play.
But McKendree got a floating jumper in the lane from Brad Fisher with just 5 seconds left on the clock to take home their second win in as many tries in Hillsboro.
Chris Metcalf and Matt Nelson both scored 12 points to lead Tabor while Pat Miller added 11 and Grant Brubacher contributed 10 in the loss.
Fisher led McKendree with 16 points including 4 of 7 from the 3-point arc.
The Bluejays hit 20 of 56 shots from the field (35.7 percent) but stayed in contention hitting 17 of 25 (68 percent) from the free throw line.
With the loss, Tabor falls to 6-7 for the season as they head back into KCAC play in a tie for first place with a 3-1 conference mark.
The Bluejays host Ottawa University on Thursday at 8:00 which follows the Bluejay women who battle the Braves at 6:00 in a matchup of teams with 4-0 conference slates.
Bluejays fall to McKendree
