Tabor College

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Feb. 28

On Thursday night the Tabor Men’s basketball season came to an end. The Bluejays lost to Friends University 58-69.

The Bluejays came into the KCAC Tournament with the seventh seed. In their first game they dropped University of Saint Mary 57-44. After the win Tabor earned the right to take on the second seed, Friends University. Friends got the best of Tabor though.

The men ended the regular season with a record of 12-16 overall and 9-9 in the KCAC.

Tabor will lose two seniors, Caleb Good (Peabody, Kan.) and Mike Stoeker (Greensboro, N.C.). Each have given positive contributions to the Tabor basketball program. Good has played Tabor basketball for all four years, and Stoecker finished his second year.

Head Coach Micah Ratzlaff finished his first year as head coach, and will have most of his players back next year to continue the improvements made throughout the season.

Even though the season came to an end Thursday night Tabor has something to look forward to under the leadership of Ratzlaff.

Feb. 25

On Monday night Tabor College (12-16,9-9) played the Spires of University of Saint Mary in the play-in round for the KCAC Post-Season Tournament. The Bluejays had a come from behind victory, winning 57-44.

Tabor could not have started much worse then they did against Saint Mary. The Bluejays came out on the court without much enthusiasm. Saint Mary took advantage of this with its zone defense, only allowing Tabor to score 13 points in the half.

The Spires defense kept Tabor shooting a majority of its shots from behind the three point line, contributing to the Bluejays 20.8 percent shooting in the first half. Tabor also committed 13 turnovers early in the contest.

After coming out of the locker room for the second half down 13-28 Tabor showed that they were finally ready to play.

The Bluejays, led by Aaron Whitelaw (Milwaukee, Wis.), got back into the game in a hurry. Zach Vanselow (Papillion, Neb.) scored a quick bucket after a great pass from Orson Thomas (Grenada). This started a run that had Tabor matching their first half score of 13 in the first five minutes of the second half.

Tabor tied the game with 7:16 remaining after another Whitelaw field goal, and never relinquished the lead. Kyle Kroeker (Hillsboro, Kan.) had nine of his team high 15 points in the closing minutes to help end the season for University of Saint Mary.

Whitelaw and Thomas contributed with 14 points each. Thomas also had 12 rebounds to record a double-double.

The Bluejays outscored Saint Mary 44-16 in the second half to help secure the win.

With this win Tabor earns the right to play Friends University on Thursday night. Friends University is the seeded second in the KCAC Post-Season Tournament. Tip-off will be at 7 p.m. at Friends University.

Feb. 23

The Kansas Wesleyan Coyotes erased a six-point deficit in the final minute using a Sims lay up with 0.7 seconds remaining to get a 72-71 win over Tabor College on Saturday night. The Coyotes never led by more that a single point at any point during the game.

A Jared Hett three started a 12-2 run for the Bluejays as Mike Stoecker used a three-point play to put Tabor up 28-15 with 6:48 left.

Mychal Henderson was fouled on a rebound with 59.6 seconds left, and swung an elbow at Tabor’s Kyle Kroeker. Henderson immediately received a technical foul, and then slammed the ball on the floor so hard it went as high as the shot clocks mounted on top of the backboards in frustration. The official hesitated and then gave Henderson a second technical, ejecting him from the game.

Whitelaw converted all three free throws, turning what could have been a chance to take the tie or take the lead for the Coyotes into a six-point deficit at 70-64.

Milen Brown, who replaced Henderson, hit both bonus free throws to get the Coyotes back within four, and Hammond would hit one of two on the Coyotes next possession to get within three with 52.9 seconds left.

Whitelaw would hit one of two free throws with 23.9 left, but Vaneslow’s tip on the miss would fall away and Hammon would pull down the board.

Romero Hood’s three would get knocked out of bounds by Tabor giving Wesleyan another chance with 17 seconds left. A three from the right corner from Brown would get recovered by Hammond with eight seconds left and Boone would hit a triple from the right wing to get Wesleyan within one with 5.6 seconds left.

Sims would put the Coyotes up 72-71 with 0.7 left. He made a spin move and drove in wide open to the hole for the score.

Whitelaw led Tabor with 15, while Orson Thomas had 13 and Hett added 10 as the Bluejays were 24-of-60 from the field for 40 percent. Vaneslow led the way with nine rebounds.

Wesleyan will host No.6 seed McPherson on Thursday in the first round of the KCAC Post-Season Tournament at 7 p.m. inside Muir Gym. The winner will advance on to play the winner of No.2 seeded Friends and the winner of Monday’s Saint Mary at Tabor play-in contest.

Feb. 21

On Thursday Night Tabor College hosted its last home regular season contest of the year. The Tabor College men (12-15,9-8) outlasted Sterling 64-60.

The men played an extremely physical Sterling squad hard all night, leading most of the game.

Tabor started on an 8-4 run fueled by three straight assists from Caleb Good (Peabody, Kan.).

Aaron Whitelaw (Milwaukee, Wis.) led the way for Tabor with 21 points. Jared Hett (Marion, Kan.) contributed with 11.

After Tabor grabbed a 34-24 advantage at halftime Sterling fought back to lead the game by two points with only 2:28 remaining.

That lead did not last long though because Kyle Kroeker (Hillsboro, Kan.) knocked down a clutch three point basket to put Tabor back on top.

“We did not get bounces earlier in the year like we did tonight,” Head Coach Micah Ratzlaff said. ” That is the difference in the game.”

Sterling guard Mac Stephenson was fouled while making a lay up to put his team only down three after his free throw attempt with 19 seconds remaining. Good was fouled on the next play, and made one free throw to give Tabor its final 64-60 advantage.

Tabor College watched two of its leaders, Good and Mike Stoecker (Greensboro, N.C.), play in their last game at home.

“I really believe that the end shots we made were because of their hard work,” Ratzlaff said. “They have been the glue of the team, and have been leaders throughout the year.”

Tabor will be back in action at Kansas Wesleyan Saturday night. The women tip-off at 5 p.m. with the men following at 7 p.m.

Feb. 16

On Saturday night Tabor College traveled to take on the Threshers of Bethel College. The men (11-15,8-8) dropped their rivals 60-52.

The men had another great defensive game, holding Bethel to 52 points. At the half Tabor and Bethel were tied with 25 a piece.

The Bluejays took control in the second half led by Zack Vanselow (Papillion, Neb.) who had a game high 20 points. Aaron Whitelaw (Milwaukee, Wis.) scored 13 points and Orson Thomas (Grenada) followed with 12.

This was the second time that Tabor beat Bethel this year, to take the season series.

Tabor College will have its last home games on Thursday, Feb. 21, against Sterling College. The women will tip-off at 6 p.m., followed by the men at 8 p.m.

Feb. 14

On Thursday night the Tabor College men grabbed a win against Southwestern College. The men won in the closing seconds 58-57.

Tabor College supported Breast Cancer Awareness like many other college basketball teams this week. The Lady Bluejays wore pink shoelaces during the game, while Head Mens Basketball Coach Micah Ratzlaff and his staff wore pink ribbons. Many fans also supported the cause by wearing pink.

The Tabor College men decided to make the game a little more dramatic, pulling out the victory when Southwestern missed on a last second three-point attempt.

Orson Thomas (Grenada) and Zack Vanselow (Papillion, Neb.) led they way for the men. Thomas ended the game with a team high 18 points. Vanselow recorded a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds.

Tabor College had a couple free throw opportunities to put the game away, but the fouls shots did not fall in the final minutes. Even without the free throws Tabor sneaked away with a one point victory against a talented Southwestern team.

The men also improved from their last meeting with Southwestern. In the first meeting Tabor lost 58-76.

Tabor College will travel to North Newton Saturday night to take on their rivals, Bethel College. The Lady Bluejays will take the court at 5 p.m., followed by the men at approximately 7 p.m.

Feb. 9

On Saturday night the Tabor men (9-15,6-8) lost in a nail biter, 79-81.

The men lost for the second time to Ottawa, but made improvements from their last meeting. On Jan. 10 the Bluejays lost by 15, and gave up 88 points. This time around Tabor only fell by two.

The men will look to rebound Thursday, Feb. 14, at approximately 8 p.m following the women.

Feb. 7

On Thursday night the Bluejays got the best of the Falcons of Friends University, winning 73-63.

Earlier in the season the men lost to Friends in Hillsboro 68-71. Tabor College rebounded from that loss, leading a majority of the game.

Tabor will be back in Hillsboro Saturday night to take on Ottawa University. The women tip-off at 5 p.m., with the men following at approximately 7 p.m.

Feb. 2

Tabor (8-14,5-7) defeated the University of St. Mary (2-22,0-13) by a final score of 70-64.

Tabor next travels to Wichita to play Friends University at 8:00 pm on Thursday, February 7th.

Jan. 31

Tabor (7-14,4-7) fell to the McPherson Bulldogs (12-8,6-5) by a final score of 71-63.

It was a back and forth battle all night. Tabor took a 35-32 lead into the half. The game remained tight until the last few minutes of the game. A few key missed shots eventually did in the Bluejays.

Orson Thomas led the Bluejays with 19 points. Aaron Whitelaw was the only other Bluejay in double figures as he contributed 12 points.

The Bluejays travel to Leavenworth to take on the University of Saint Mary this Saturday at 7:00 pm.

Jan. 24

In a game that looked like it could be a back and forth battle throughout the night, Tabor (6-13,3-6) let Kansas Wesleyan (9-9,7-2) take a lead that they would never relinquish, eventually losing 85-71.

In the first ten minutes of the contest Tabor and Kansas Wesleyan exchanged leads six different times, and were tied in five other occasions. The next ten minutes is what was costly for Tabor.

With Tabor winning 20-17, Mychal Henderson from Kansas Wesleyan decided to take matters into his own hands. Henderson scored 17 points the remainder of the half, while the Bluejays only could manage eight. The Bluejays would find themselves down by 21 at halftime. Henderson ended the game with 27 points.

Orson Thomas (Grenada) scored 10 of his team high 14 points in the second half to help Tabor pull back to within 12 at its closest point. Jordan Funk (Wichita, Kan.) added 10 points. The Bluejays played with a higher intensity in the second half, outscoring Kansas Wesleyan 43-36.

Tabor will look to rebound at Bethany College, Saturday night at approximately 7 p.m.

Jan. 19

The Tabor College men’s basketball team (6-12,3-6) fell to conference foe Sterling College (10-7,5-2) 82-62.

Some costly second half turnovers let Sterling build it’s lead.

Zack Vanselow led Tabor with 15 points and 4 blocks. He was also a perfect 4 for 4 from the free throw line.

Aaron Whitelaw and and Mike Rousell also made it to double figures for the Jays.

Tabor next plays Kansas Wesleyan University on January 24th in Hillsboro at 8:00 pm.

Jan. 17

After a sluggish first half Tabor College (6-11,3-5) turned its game around against heated rival Bethel College (5-12,3-5), winning 76-64.

The men completed a sweep of Bethel College on Thursday night, where Tabor won all four contests between the two rivals.

The Bluejays went into the locker room at halftime down four points. When they came back out things would soon turn their way.

Orson Thomas (Grenada), who had four points at intermission, dropped 14 in the second half, leading the Bluejays with 18 points. Thomas missed a double-double by only one rebound, recording nine.

Three others made it to double figures for the Bluejays. Aaron Whitelaw (Milwaukee, Wis.) scored 17 points coming off of the bench in his first game back from an ankle injury. Zach Vanselow (Papillion, Neb.) used a series of post moves to stump the Bethel defense, contributing 13 points on 60 percent shooting from the floor. Mike Rousell (Copperas Cove, Texas) rounded out the group with 10 points.

Tabor stepped up its defensive intensity, forcing 22 turnovers. Bethel was only allowed 27 points in the second half. The men only committed 12 turnovers, keeping a definite advantage over Bethel.

Tabor will travel to Sterling, Kan. to take on Sterling College on Saturday, Jan. 19. The men will follow the womens game at approximately 7 p.m.

Jan. 14

After making a dramatic shot to send the game to overtime the final shot in overtime on Monday night did not fall in the Bluejays (5-10,2-3) favor, losing to Friends University (7-7,3-2) 71-68.

With time running out on the Tabor College Bluejays, Kyle Kroeker from Hillsboro, Kan., drove deep into the Friends defense and put up one final shot. The shot came with Tabor down two points, and was heavily contested by a number of Friends defenders. Not only did that shot elude the defense but fell through the net to send the game into overtime.

All night the Bluejays played with high intensity, and had many big contributions from an assortment of players.Orson Thomas (Grenada) led the way for the Bluejays, recording a double-double. Thomas scored 12 points and pulled down 10 boards. Kyle de Blonk (Emporia, Kan.) who played over 37 minutes scored 16 points to lead the team in that category.

Zach Vanselow (Papillion, Neb.) and Mike Stoecker (Greensboro, N.C.) each had 10 points. Caleb Good hit his only shot, a three-point basket, but put a spark in the Tabor defense. Good finished with three rebounds and five assists.

The only problem for Tabor was that they had to fight for five extra minutes after playing in 40 minutes of a physical game, and all of the hard work did not pull through in the end for the Bluejays. Kroeker had one final shot from deep in the corner to try to tie the game once again. The off balance shot did not have the magic of his final shot in regulation though, falling short of the basket.

The Bluejays will try to bounce back from their disappointing defeat when they take on the Threshers of Bethel College Thursday night, Jan. 17. Tip-off will follow the Lady Bluejays 6 p.m. start at approximately 8 p.m. Jan. 12

Saturday night Tabor traveled to Winfield, Kan. to take on the Moundbuilders of Southwestern College.

The Tabor College Men (5-9,2-2) were looking to come back from loss to Ottawa on Thursday night. Southwestern (8-7,3-2) had different plans for the Bluejays, handing them a 76-58 defeat.

Tabor found themselves in an early hole, trailing 46-29 at halftime. The Bluejays never found their stroke, shooting only 37 percent form the field and 8 percent from long range.

Both the men and women will be back in action on Monday Jan. 14 in Hillsboro to take on Friends University. The women will play at 6 p.m. with the men following at approximately 8 p.m.

January 10

Tabor Men’s Basketball (5-8,2-1) could not stop Ottawa University’s (9-4,2-1) starting five on Thursday night. Each starter was in double figures, helping to pull Ottawa ahead 88-73.

The Bluejays found themselves down 40-28 at the half, and could never overcome the Braves 50 percent shooting from the floor to climb back into the game. After falling down by 12 at half Tabor did play better only losing the second half battle by 3.

Mike Rousell (Copperas Cove, Texas) and Orson Thomas (Grenada) led the way for the Bluejays scoring 13 and 12 respectively.

Tabor shot 51 percent from the floor, but made six free throws on only 19 shots.

The men will look to rebound against Southwestern College on Saturday night, following the women at approximately 7 p.m.

January 4-5, 2008

Behind 61.5 percent first-half shooting and five double-figure scorers, Tabor College (5-8) defeated the Missouri Baptist Spartans (2-14) in Tabor’s second game of the Tabor Classic.

Aaron Whitelaw led all scorers with 22 points. Tabor’s defense held Missouri Baptist to 35 percent from the floor and 28 percent (7/25) from behind the arc.

On Friday evening’s matchup against Savannah (8-10), Tabor led most of the way. However, down the stretch, a couple of close calls went against the Jays coupled with some clutch shooting from Savannah. Savannah held on to defeat Tabor 76-70.

Tabor next resumes conference play on January 10th at Ottawa at 8:00 pm.

December 29, 2007

Behind 75 percent first-half shooting, a convincing 52-30 rebounding advantage overall and six double-figure scorers, East Central University defeated Tabor College 90-53.

The Tigers scored the first five points of the game and led 20-5 with 12:57 to go before halftime. ECU then went on to a 49-26 halftime lead while holding the Bluejays to 28.6 percent shooting. Tabor ended up 31.3 percent for the game.

Former ECU player Orson Thomas paced Tabor College with 13 points and eight rebounds in a losing cause.

The Tigers scored the first five points of the game and led 20-5 with 12:57 to go before halftime. ECU then went on to a 49-26 halftime lead while holding the Bluejays to 28.6 percent shooting. Tabor ended up 31.3 percent for the game.

Tabor next hosts the Tabor Classic on January 4th and 5th. Sterling opens the tournament against Missouri Baptist at 6:00 pm on January 4th. Tabor will then play Savannah at 8:00 pm. Sunday’s games include Sterling vs. Savannah at 1:00 pm. The second game will include Tabor vs. Missouri Baptist at 3:00 pm.

MAKE-UP DATE ANNOUNCED!!!

The basketball games that were postponed on December 8th will be made up on January 14th. The women’s JV game will start at 3:45. The women’s varsity game will start at 6:00. The men’s varsity game will start at 8:00. All games will take place at Tabor College.

December 15, 2007

Twelve different Newman University men’s basketball players entered the scoring column as the Jets rolled past Tabor 82-61 Saturday night at O’Shaughnessy Hall. Despite playing their first game since December 5, Newman (7-1) never trailed the Blue Jays (4-7).

Center Ryan Bradley (Bradenton, Fla.) led all scorers with 14 points for the Jets. He also tied for the team lead with eight rebounds and dished out a season-high four assists. Kyle Smith (Wichita, Kan.) added 13 points with the help of three three-point baskets and Camilo Londono (Medellin, Colombia) put in 11 points, four rebounds and four assists.

Orson Thomas helped Tabor with a double-double of 12 points and 12 rebounds. Aaron Whitelaw topped the Blue Jays with 14 points. Zack Vanselow chipped in with 11.

Londono started Newman off with a lay-up 15 seconds into the game and Smith’s first three-pointer made it 5-2. The Jets never again faced even a tie.

Londono hit back-to-back three-point baskets to finish an 8-0 Newman run and the Jets led 13-4 just over three minutes into the game.

Tabor cut it to single digits, 18-10, on a Vaneslow jumper in the lane with 12:39 to play in the first half. However Newman then went on a 13-5 surge and held a double-digit advantage the rest of the way.

With the Blue Jays still within 15 early in the second half, Bradley started an 8-0 spurt with a lay-up. That run put the Jets on top 56-33 with 14:53 to go in the game. The lead reached 32 on a three-point basket from Cole Elliott (Derby, Kan.) with 7:33 left to play.

Newman shot nearly 48% from the floor and out-rebounded Tabor 40-37. The Jets dished out 20 assists and committed just 15 turnovers. The Blue Jays hit 40.3% of their shots, including just 4-of-16 beyond the arc.

Tabor next plays an exhibition game against East Central University at Ada, Oklahoma on December 29th.

Dececember 8, 2007

Games have been postponed due to inclement weather. At this time, no make up date has been set, but as soon as a make up date is determined it will be released.

December 6, 2007

Tabor executed a solid game plan and defeated their conference opponent from St. Marys. Tabor had a well balanced attack which saw five different players score in double figures. For the game, Tabor shot an outstanding 59.6% from the field, while holding St. Marys to only 34.3% from the field. The final score was 80-61. Tabor next hosts Friends University at 7:00 pm on Saturday, December 8th.

Past Seasons

2007-08 Men’s Basketball Results