TC men edge ?Builders, Spires

With a strong defensive effort, the 15th-ranked Tabor College men?s basketball team earned a 66-63 victory over Southwestern Saturday. The Bluejays limited the Moundbuilders, who are receiving votes in the latest Top 25 poll, to well below their average of 93 points per game.

?We?ve been really working on getting after it on the defensive end, and I thought we did a lot better job of really guarding tonight,? coach Micah Ratzlaff said. ?They?ve got some big-time athletes, and they?re tough with (Chris) Waller and (Cameron) Clark. You know they?re going to get their points, but you?ve just got to make it difficult for them, and I thought we did a good job of that.?

Clark, who scored 24 points on the night, made his first basket?a three-pointer?just nine seconds in, but Tabor scored 10 unanswered points after that. D?Marco Smith contributed seven points to the effort.

Tabor maintained its lead, although Southwestern trimmed it to three a few times, including 25-22 with 4:02 left in the first half. Lance Carter made two baskets, then John Jedneak added two more, giving Tabor its first double-digit lead, 33-22. The Builders outscored the Bluejays, 7-2 in the final 1:34 to close the gap to 35-29 at halftime.

Tabor scored just two field goals in the first five minutes of play, and the Builders took advantage of Bluejay turnovers to tie the game at 39.

Tabor gained separation, 51-46, only to have the Builders embark on a 10-2 rally to take the lead, 56-53, with 5:53 to play. Carter scored Tabor?s next eight points to put the Bluejays back in front, 61-60.

The Builders tied the game with a free-throw before Jonathan Gibson made two from the charity stripe. Carter scored to put Tabor in front, 65-61, but Southwestern responded with a basket with 1:05 to play.

Tabor missed two shots, then Southwestern missed one and sent Carter to the free-throw line with 18 seconds left, where he made one of two to extend the margin to 66-63. Southwestern missed two attempts at a tying three-pointer and Tabor hung on to win.

?I knew it wasn?t going to just be a blowout,? Ratzlaff said. ?It?s amazing how quickly these guys will give up leads but how bad they want to win at the end of a game, so they just find ways to do it.?

Carter, the KCAC Offensive Player of the Week, led all scorers with 27 points. Jedneak added 12.

Saint Mary?After trailing by as many as 13 points, Tabor snuck out of Leavenworth with a one-point, 73-72 win Thursday.

?Defensively, we were pretty good,? coach Micah Ratzlaff said. ?We just struggled to score. It was an amazing comeback.?

Following a 6-6 tie, Saint Mary outscored Tabor 9-3 over the next four minutes.

Tullio Parry and John Jedneak scored in succession to close the gap to 15-13.

With Tabor down, 22-16, the Bluejays embarked on an 11-0 run for a 27-22 advantage with 2:11 left in the half. Tabor led, 29-24, when Jedneak scored with 1:01 to play, but the Spires ended the half with a 5-0 run, including a last-second three that tied the game at 29.

After Davaghndre Jones scored two baskets in succession to give Tabor a 37-36 advantage, Saint Mary used an 8-0 run to take the lead, 44-37, at the 13:40 mark. Over the next three and a half minutes, the Spires? lead grew to 13 points, 55-42.

With Saint Mary in front, 61-50, Lance Carter made a two-pointer to ignite a 9-1 run that closed the gap to 62-59 with 5:28 to play.

Following a Spire trey, Carter made four of four free throw attempts to bring Tabor within 65-63 with 3:14 to go.

Saint Mary extended its lead to 67-63, then Tullio Parry sandwiched a Carter trey with two three-pointers of his own over a one-minute span to put Tabor in front, 72-69, with 1:46 to play.

A traditional three-point play from the game?s leading scorer, Grant Green?berg, tied the game at 72.

Carter was fouled after two Tabor misses, and he made one of two charity shots at the 1:06 mark.

Jonathan Gibson blocked the Spires? next two shots and grabbed the rebound, but Tabor was whistled for a charge, giving the ball back to Saint Mary with 19 seconds left.

Tabor switched to a 2-3 zone, Ratzlaff said, which took the Spires out of what they wanted to do?get the ball inside to Greenberg. A Spire three-pointer and following put-back at the buzzer both missed their mark, giving Tabor the one-point victory.

?They are the best 2-6 KCAC team I have ever seen in my life, and that?ll show second round,? Ratzlaff said. ?They?ve just had some tough losses, but they?re really talented. Anytime you can get a win down there, you take it and run.?

Carter led the Bluejays with 21 points. Smith added 13, and Jordan Horstick 10. Greenburg led all scorers with 27 points and 10 rebounds.

Coming?Tabor (9-0, 16-3) will host Bethel (3-6, 5-14)?Thursday at 8 p.m. Tabor will begin the second round of KCAC play at Ottawa (7-2, 11-6) Saturday at 7 p.m.

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