Home was not kind to Tabor this week. The Bluejays dropped a pair of games at home falling to Sterling 62-52 Saturday and Friends 61-59.
Sterling?Staying undefeated in the KCAC, the Sterling women?s basketball team pulled away in the final four minutes to beat Tabor, 62-51 Saturday night in Hillsboro. Sterling (10-0, 15-3), ended the game with six consecutive points to put away the pesky Bluejays.
There were 11 lead changes and three ties in the game.
Tabor was within 52-49 at the 3:32 mark, cutting the lead from six on a MacKenzie Dick three-point field goal. That was the closest Tabor would be for the remainder of the game.
Sterling?s Cathryn Wiebe led all scorers with 20 points and 11 rebounds. Erica Murman had 11 points, three assists. Brittany Gasper finished with 11 points.
Dick was good on 4-for-6 from three point range and finished with 16 points. Stephanie Silvas had nine points, six rebounds and four assists, shooting 57 percent from the field.
Sterling improved to a 10-0 KCAC record and 16-3 overall, while Tabor falls to a 3-7 KCAC record and is 4-16 overall.
Sterling?Andrea Robinson caught an inbounds pass and had a clear path to an open jump shot. Appearing to be surprised the defense was not between her and the basket, Robinson pulled up from the elbow line, extended and buried a long jump shot with 7.4 second left to play.
The shot was not from long enough according to the official, turning a potential tie into a one-point deficit for Tabor. After Friend?s Alyson Snell hit one of two free throws, Robinson put up another desperation attempt from 35 feet with the game clock rapidly approaching zero. The shot was off the mark, ending the game 61-59 Friends.
A game that was back and forth almost from start to finish, neither team allowed the other to get too much of a lead.
Tabor grabbed a 57-56 lead with 1:15 remaining, but Friends scored on two free throws to take a three-point lead at 60-57 with 13.3 seconds.
Tynon Honn led Tabor scorers with 17 points, seven points. Tiffany Bulk and MacKenzie Dick finished with 11. Other scorers were Robinson (7), Sara Wyckoff (6), Stephanie Silvas (6), Olvera Vivian (2) and Nicole Gentry (1).
Friends was led by Ta?Vion Polley-Davis with 17 points. Alyson Snell contributed 16.
Friends improved to 9-10 and 5-4 in KCAC play. The Falcons are tied with Bethel for fourth in the league.
Tabor is on the road this week facing Bethel in Newton Thursday and go to McPherson Saturday.
