Tabor?s season ended Monday with a 75-63 loss to Bethel in a KCAC Tournament play-in game at Tabor.
Bethel went on a 12-2 run taking a 62-52 lead with 7:16 to play in the game.
Up until that point Tabor and Bethel battled. The score traded hands 12 times and was tied eight times.
Moments before the Bethel run, Tabor took its last lead of the ball game 50-49 with a Ryan Chippeaux three pointer.
After making the second half run, Bethel never led by less than seven for the remainder of the contest.
Starting off the second half pounding the ball inside to Damon Dechant, Tabor struggled offensivly after Dechant went to the bench following a whistle for his fourth foul with 9:25 left to play.
Dechant returned late in the game and fouled out with 1:01 left to play.
Looking for a spark off the bench down 70-63 with 1:31 remaining, Micah Ratzlaff put in senior Kyle Kroeker. It was the first action for Kroeker since suffering an injury against Bethany on Jan. 9.
Kroeker stole the ball once and was 0-2 from the field.
Bethel shot 68.8 percent from the field in the second half. The Threshers traveled to the charity stripe for 28 attempts compared to 11 for the Bluejays in the ball game.
Bethel was led by Ryan Cummins and John Watson wih 18 points. Justin Baldia scored 17.
Dechant led the Bluejays with 17 points and seven rebounds. Cody Arnold scored 16 points and Lawson Kingsley finished with 11.
Bethel moves on to play Friends on Thursday in Wichita in a KCAC tournament quarterfinal match up.
Friends?The Tabor men?s basketball regular seasons ended Saturday in Wichita against Friends. The Bluejays fell, 82-66.
The Tabor men hung with Friends early, tied with the Falcons 10-10 five minutes into the first half. In the next seven minutes, Friends went on a 13-2 spurt.
Tabor cut the Falcon?s lead to nine halfway through the second half with a Rob Moore 18-foot jump shot. The 57-48 lead for the Falcons continually increased throughout the remainder of the second half.
Chris Heard finished the night with 23 points, six rebounds and three assists. Romar Jones had 18 points. Chris Jackson had 13. Tim Ellis shot 5-for-5 from the field for 11 points. Avery Richardson scored 10 for the Falcons.
Daniel Hann led Tabor with 12 points. Damon Dechant had 10 points, nine rebounds. Cody Arnold finished with 11 points, two steals. Hann and Dechant each had a dunk.
Hann set up Dechant on a dunk with an assist driving to the basket in the second half. Dechant cut baseline, handled the pass and crammed it home.
Hann dunked on a tip-putback of a missed shot.
The loss ended the men?s regular season KCAC record at 7-11 and 10-17 overall.
St. Mary?A late Tabor rally was cut short by a questionable call, as the Tabor men fell 68-57 Thursday in Hillsboro
On a fast break, with Tabor down 61-51 with 2:06 to play, a warning was given to St. Mary coach John Bishop that stopped the play on the floor and momentum for the surging Bluejays. Down 60-40 with 6:18 left to play, Tabor moved to within 10 in four minutes? time with an 11-1 run.
Following the warning call, Tabor coach Micah Ratzlaff was given a technical arguing the warning call on the St. Mary bench. St. Mary closed the game out as Tabor never came to within single digits.
Other than the late game surge, St. Mary controlled the game. The Spires opened the game 21-7 and carried a 37-23 halftime lead.
Eric Nitsche led all scorers with 17 points. Jeb Greenberg and Brandon Doughterty had 16.
Damon Dechant finished with a double-double (11 points, 11 rebounds). Cody Arnold had 13 points.
Season over-Tabor finishes its season 11-18 overall and 7-12 in the KCAC.
