The Sabetha Lady Jays faced a tough test on Monday, Feb. 10, falling 62-39 to the visiting Jefferson West Lady Tigers. Despite the final score, the night featured several bright moments, strong individual performances, and continued growth for a Lady Jays squad that continues to compete with energy and resilience.

Sabetha got on the scoreboard early as senior Chloe Detweiler opened the game with a strong move on the block, showcasing patience and touch in the post. Offensively, the Lady Jays worked hard to attack Jeff West’s aggressive 1-3-1 zone defense, doing a solid job finding gaps and creating looks, even as shots proved difficult to convert early on. Junior Sidney Schubarth later broke through with a confident pump fake followed by a smooth jumper off the glass to keep Sabetha within reach.

Jeff West used a late first-quarter surge that carried into the second quarter to build momentum. Still, Sabetha continued to battle. Three-point specialist junior Paxton Michael knocked down a well-designed inbounds play from the top of the key, while senior Alivia Lang provided a spark with relentless effort on the offensive glass, securing a rebound and kicking it out to senior Kiera Keim for a corner three.

The final moments of the first half belonged to junior Sophia Haverkamp, who energized the home crowd with 5 points in the final 25 seconds. Haverkamp buried a high-arching three and followed it up with a crafty running jumper that banked in at the buzzer, giving Sabetha a boost heading into the locker room. Jeff West, fueled by a talented and athletic freshman class, carried a 34-17 advantage into halftime.

The Lady Jays came out with purpose in the second half. Schubarth delivered a perfect high-low pass to Detweiler for an early basket, setting the tone. Michael continued to shine from beyond the arc, drilling two three-pointers in the third quarter and adding two more across the fourth, finishing the night with five triples. Her performance pushed her season total to an impressive 46 made three-pointers.

Sophomore point guard Haidyn Jackman capped the scoring with a strong take to the rim late in the game, flashing poise and confidence at the varsity level. Another sophomore, RaeLynn Lanter, made her presence felt on the boards, pulling down nine rebounds and showing grit by returning to the game after briefly leaving with an ankle injury. Her toughness paid off, as she was able to suit up again just days later against Perry-Lecompton.

Head Coach Rachelle Wertenberger praised her team’s effort, saying, “Despite the tough game and playing a talented and physical Jeff West team, I was proud of the girls for continuing to work hard and have good attitudes. Paxton shot well, and RaeLynn did some really great things for us.”