The Sabetha Lady Jays ran into a tough night on Friday, Feb. 13, falling at home to the Perry-Lecompton Kaws by a final score of 55-22.

Sabetha came out with solid energy to start the night. Junior Sidney Schubarth opened the scoring with a strong post move inside, setting the tone early. The Lady Jays continued to find quality looks when junior Macey Drahota delivered a perfectly timed pass to senior Chloe Detweiler on a backdoor cut for another basket. Sophomore RaeLynn Lanter added to the early offense with a smooth post move of her own.

While the offense was slow to get going, Sabetha’s defense carried the first quarter. The Lady Jays settled into a tough 3-2 zone that made life difficult for Perry-Lecompton. Despite scoring just 6 points in the opening frame, Sabetha held the Kaws to only 8 points, keeping the game well within reach after one quarter of play.

The second quarter saw more positive moments. Schubarth calmly knocked down a pair of free throws, and Sabetha showed its athleticism in transition with a two-on-one fast break that ended with junior Paxton Michael finding senior Kiera Keim for an easy score. One of the biggest highlights of the half came just before the buzzer, when Schubarth jumped a passing lane, took the steal coast-to-coast, and finished with a crafty Eurostep layup with one second remaining.

At halftime, Perry-Lecompton held a 19-12 lead, but the game still felt manageable. Sabetha had competed defensively and generated good looks — it was simply a matter of building on that momentum.

The third quarter, however, proved to be the turning point. Sabetha struggled to find any rhythm on either end of the floor, managing just 3 points in the period. Lanter scored on a nice up-and-under post move, and Schubarth added a free throw, but Perry-Lecompton caught fire. The Kaws poured in 25 points in the quarter, scoring from inside, outside and in transition, quickly stretching the lead and seizing full control of the game.

With the outcome largely decided heading into the fourth quarter, the Lady Jays continued to compete and play with pride. Keim knocked down a three-pointer, and senior Izzy Scoby added another triple, providing bright spots to close out the night and showing the team’s continued willingness to fight until the final horn.

“Despite the tough second half, I was still proud of the girls’ effort,” said Head Coach Rachelle Wertenberger. “This is all a process, and we are continuing to improve.”