The Tabor men (11-3, 17-6) won a tough 36-34 battle with Bethel (5-9, 6-18) Saturday to secure the top spot in the KCAC conference just above Sterling (10-4, 14-10).
?The game was nuts,? Bluejay coach Micah Ratzlaff said. ?We couldn?t get a basket early. They really worked the shot clock, they slowed the game down and they had some guys hit some key shots in the first half.?
Damon Dechant scored the first points for Tabor with a jump shot from the corner. Four minutes later, with the score 2-3, Aaron Magee scored a layup to give Tabor the lead.
The Bluejays played tight defense and made Bethel take difficult shots. But the Threshers held a 13-4 lead with seven minutes to go in the half. When Bethel nailed a three-point shot late in the first half, the Thresher lead was 21-6.
But Aaron Magee rose to the challenge and quickly answered with three points for Tabor. The score at halftime was 23-12 .
Phillip Jimenez got the Bluejays off to a good start in the second half by draining a three right away. Kyle Wallace sunk another big three at the 14-minute mark.
A minute later, Dylan Clark-Kaneable drove to the baseline and converted a reverse layup to pull the Bluejays within five points.
Tabor?s unrelenting defense started to pay dividends in the second half, forcing Bethel to attempt tough shots. The Threshers shot just 21 percent (5-23) in the second half.
With 6:40 left, Michael Janzen made a three-pointer that tied the game at 29. Bethel scored on its next possession, but the lead was short-lived as Jimenez made a quick layup in transition.
With time running out and the game tied, Dechant drove into the heart of the Thresher zone defense and jammed a crowd-pleasing dunk to give Tabor its first lead of the half.
With only 26 seconds remaining, Wallace was sent to the foul line and made two clutch free throws to give the Bluejays a slim two-point advantage.
On the other end, Dechant was called for a foul and Bethel had a chance to tie the game at the foul line with 13 seconds left to play.
Bethel?s Matt Regier made his first shot, but the second one bounced high off the rim and was snatched by Dechant, who was quickly fouled and sent back to the line with 11 seconds left and Tabor leading by a point.
Dechant made the first free throw, but missed the second attempt. Bethel rebounded and pushed the ball up court. From outside the arch, Jason O?Brien took a final shot for the Threshers, but the ball missed its mark and Tabor walked away with the victory.
?We came out second half and inched our way back into the game,? Ratzlaff said. ?I don?t know how we did it, but we did it. We willed our way to the win.?
He applauded Janzen for a huge three-point shot when the Bluejays were down by three points, calling it the biggest shot of the game.
?At times it was ugly, but we were really, really tough and we were good on the defensive end when it mattered,? Ratzlaff said.
He added he was proud of his team for not folding in an intense situation.
?They fought their way back and they left everything out on the court,? Ratzlaff said.
None of the Bluejays made double digits, with the scoring divided among eight players. Chip Schneider led Bethel with 11 points.
Ottawa?Tabor defeated conference opponent Ottawa on the road Thursday, 79-69, to keep pace with Sterling College for the top spot in the KCAC.
?We showed up to play,? coach Micah Ratzlaff said. ?We came out of the gate really well and had a chance to put it away in the first half.?
The Bluejays scored first and proceeded to build a solid lead over the Braves in the first few minutes. Chippeaux made two free throws with a little under 10 minutes left in the half to make the score 22-6, Tabor.
The Braves rallied in the last few minutes of the first half, pulling to within 33-21 as both teams headed into the locker room.
The Bluejays continued to dominate in the first part of the second half, keeping the Braves scoreless during a 10-point run that made the score 43-28 with a little over 16 minutes left.
A basket by Michael Janzen gave Tabor an 18-point lead, 53-35, with 13:19 remaining.
As the second half wound down, the Bluejays maintained a comfortable double-digit lead. The Braves staged a modest comeback late in the contest, but Tabor hung on for the 10-point win.
?We really struggled with the pressure and that is something we?re going to continue to work on,? Ratzlaff said. ?Lawson Kingsley hit our really big back-breaking threes against them. He really picked us up on the offensive game.?
Kingsley led the Bluejay attack with 19 points. Damon Dechant and Philip Jimenez posted 11 and 12 points, respectively.
Larry Barber led Ottawa with 25 points and Corey Smith added 16.
Coming?The Bluejays are scheduled to battle McPherson (8-6, 14-11) on the road at 8 p.m. Thursday before playing Southwestern (6-8, 14-9) at 7 p.m. at home Saturday.