The Lady Jays were riding the momentum of a two-game win streak when they were slated to take on the top team in the Big Seven, Nemaha Central Thunder, on Tuesday, Feb. 7, at Seneca. Sabetha sputtered offensively through the first half, trailed by 14 points at the break and took the loss on the road, 45-32.

“We got off to a slow start versus Nemaha Central, especially on the boards and following our defensive game plan, which was a little disappointing to all of us,” said Head Coach Nate Bauman. “The slow start was magnified a bit with them hitting a three-pointer at the first quarter buzzer to take a 14-6 lead.”

The Thunder jumped out to the early lead, opening with a 7-0 run to start the game, before Sabetha posted their first points. Senior Mary Lukert led her team with scoring 4 points in the first period and senior Jessica Gruber added a bucket.

The second quarter was not much better in the shooting/scoring department and Sabetha managed just 5 points. Senior Trinity Detweiler connected on a trey and Lukert added 2 points. Nemaha Central widened their lead by halftime, 25-11, and the Bluejays would have to find a way to score and slow down the Thunder in the second half.

“Against a team that is as quality as Nemaha Central, those types of quarters are difficult to overcome,” Coach Bauman said.

Lukert put her team on her back offensively in the second half to pour in 8 points in the third and 8 additional points in the fourth quarter. Sabetha turned up their defensive pressure as well, which led to some players getting in foul trouble, and held their hosts to just 6 points in the third quarter. Gruber had 2 points in the fourth period and senior Carly Hartter dropped a trey late in the game

In spite of the intense effort, the slow start spelled it out for Sabetha in the end and Nemaha Central would take the victory on their home court, 45-32.

“To our girls’ credit, they never gave up and battled through injuries, foul trouble and shooting struggles to play basically even with the No. 3 team in the state the rest of the way,” Coach Bauman said. “I think there are two important lessons we need to take away from the game. First, we can’t afford to have poor stretches defensively against great opponents. Second, when we don’t have those lapses, we can play with the best teams in the state.”

“I remain encouraged by where we are at as a team. Hopefully, this will refocus our attention on the task at hand going forward. I know with the character and experience of these girls they will be up to the challenge,” Coach Bauman said.