The Tabor women (7-8, 10-15) beat out conference rival McPherson (3-12, 5-20) on their home hardwood tonight, 47-43.
“It wasn’t the prettiest thing in the world,” said Bluejays coach Shawn Winter. “But when you have a team that can withstand about any set of circumstances they find themselves in, find a way to win, I’m always happy.”
The Bluejays scored first and kept their lead throughout the first half, helped along by an eight-point scoring run at the beginning of the half and strong inside shooting from the Bluejays’ Tynan Honn.
Honn, who started out the season slow but has come into her own as the season has progressed, scored 13 of the Bluejays’ 23 points in the first half.
The Bluejays led the Bulldogs by 11 points, 23-12, going into the locker room at halftime.
The Bluejays continued to hold onto their lead as the second half got underway, but the Bulldogs began to challenge.
Drawing within three points five minutes into the second half, the Bulldogs cut the Bluejays’ lead to just one pint, 36-35, with a little over eight minutes left to play.
The Bulldogs’ rally led to a close battle the last five minutes of the game, with the Bluejays hanging on to a narrow lead and the Bulldogs breathing down their necks.
Despite the Bulldogs’ efforts, the Bluejays held them off and came away with the win, 47-43.
The Bluejays got the victory despite being without two players; Molly Dick did not play due to illness, and Vivian Olvera will no longer be playing due to academic ineligibility, Winters said.
“We’re down two people in our regular rotation,” Winters said. “We battled, and somehow hung on, so that’s all that matters.”
Honn led the Bluejays in scoring with 18 points on the night.
