Bluejays Pull Away from Eagles After Halftime

HILLSBORO, Kan. – It was only a one-point game at the intermission, but Tabor (4-4, 1-2 KCAC) got hot after halftime and clamped down on Avila (1-4, 0-3 KCAC) defensively, outscoring the Eagles by ten in the second half en route to an 83-72 victory on Wednesday night in Hillsboro.

On the surface, this seemed to be an evenly-matched game: two young teams with first- or second-year head coaches trying to earn their first wins of the conference season and climb out of the bottom half of the preseason league predictions. And, for much of the game, that was exactly how it shook out: the game was played exclusively within two possessions for the entire first half until Avila seized control down the back stretch – but Tabor recovered to erase a deficit, steal a lead going into halftime, and did not let up after both teams returned to play.

For about the first 15 minutes, this game was about as even as it could be. Both teams traded buckets, moved the ball up and down the floor, capitalized on turnovers, sank important three-pointers, and five points was the largest lead either team enjoyed. Trailing 19-15 almost exactly halfway through the period, Avila was the first team to piece together a big run, reeling off nine straight points – all scored by Jordan Majeed and Cooper Smith – to build that five-point lead in less than three minutes. Tabor got to within one, but then James Ross III scored five straight to give the Eagles their largest lead, 30-23, with about 4:20 remaining in the first half.

Half a minute later, Jared Larson connected from beyond the arc to extend that lead to eight with four minutes to play. Avila looked to be in great shape, but suddenly the Bluejays built a big rally, and scored 11 of the final 13 points of the first half, capped off by two free throws from Kalep Crane with less than a second on the clock. Avila had led for much of the final four minutes, but those two shots gave the Bluejays a 36-35 lead heading into halftime.

And if there's such a thing as momentum, the Bluejays were able to maintain it even despite the halftime break. Tabor scored 10 of the first 12 points of the second half to open up its largest lead of the night, 46-37, and though Avila got back to as close as down three thanks to a pair of buckets from Matthew Boldt, the Bluejays remained red hot, shooting exactly 60% (15-of-25) from the field as a team in the second half while Avila lagged behind at 32% shooting. The Eagles simply could not catch up or keep pace, and Tabor ended up with its first conference win of the season with the 83-72 victory.

All five starters scored in double figures for a Bluejay team that did not employ much bench. Crane led all players with 17 points in a strong all-around game, and forward Kenyon Holcombe scored 12 with eight rebounds and four blocks. Boldt paced the Eagles with 12 points – all in the second half – while Majeed had 11 and Smith had 10; Jehoiada Goins scored six points and led all players with 11 boards.

Up next, Avila men's basketball returns to Mabee Fieldhouse for Avila's second home KCAC doubleheader of the 2023-24 campaign. It's Alumni Day and also Ugly Christmas Sweater Day at Mabee, and the owner of the best (worst) sweater has a chance to win a cash prize courtesy of Avila Athletics. The Avila women will tip off the doubleheader against York at 1 PM with the men to follow at 3; as always, you can watch all the action live and for free on the Avila Sports Network with Joe Van Amburg on the call from Kansas City.