By Sterling College Athletics
Sterling, Kan.- The Sterling College Lady Warriors continued to dominate the conference with an 11 point victory over the Bethel College Threshers. Sterling made it 17 straight conference wins and 10 straight overall as they move one game closer to sealing another conference title. Sterling walked out of the gym with an 81-70 victory on Saturday night.
The first quarter was all Warriors Saturday night. Sterling led by as many as 13 midway through before the Threshers cut the lead to just 8 at the first quarter break. Bailey Albright came out ready to shoot scoring 9 first quarter points. With those 9 points, Albright moves to #2 on the all-time women’s basketball scoring list. Taya Wilson continued her dominance on the boards grabbing 5 first quarter rebounds. Sterling led by 8 heading into the huddle.
Bethel came alive from deep in the second quarter allowing them to keep pace with the Warriors. Bethel was 4-9 from beyond the arc. After Sterling was up 11, Bethel scored the last 6 points of the half and cut the lead to just 5 at the break. Karsen Schultz got the hot hand for the Warriors, scoring 8 in the quarter. After a dominant first quarter, Sterling held on to a slim 38-30 lead.
Sterling’s offense came alive in the 3rd quarter with several Warriors getting in on the action. Sterling outscored the Threshers 27-12. Wilson and Albright each scored 8 in the quarter, Stucky added 6 and Schultz added 5. The Warriors shot 60% from the field and was a perfect 9-9 from the free throw line. With the effort, Sterling took a comfortable 65-45 lead into the final frame.
The fourth quarter was an evenly matched contest most of the way. A few baskets late by the Threshers made the final score much closer than the game actually was. In the final 3 minutes of play, Bethel cut into Sterling’s 22 point lead going on a 13-2 run to close things out. It was too little too late for Bethel as Sterling still came away with an 81-70 victory. Albright and Schultz continued to pace the way for the Warriors as they closed things out.
Bailey Albright led the way for Sterling with 26 points. Schultz had another solid performance as she leads the KCAC in scoring this season with 23 points and added 4 rebounds and 2 assists. Taya Wilson had another big game with 19 points, 13 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 blocks. Rounding out the double-digit scoring for Sterling was Bethany Stucky with 10 points and 3 rebounds. Kali Briar was ready to distribute the ball accounting for 5 assists, 4 rebounds and added 2 steals.
Sterling shot 54% for the game even while shooting just 14% from three point range. Bethel was only able to mount a minor threat by shooting 10-29 from deep. Sterling improves to 20-4, 17-1 in KCAC play. This is the 5th straight 20 win season for the Warriors. If they continue at this pace, it will be their 3rd straight KCAC regular season title and a tournament championship will also be 3 in a row.
Sterling travels to Friends University on Wednesday evening and returns home for the final home game of the season next Saturday. The game Saturday begins at 5 pm against the Kansas Wesleyan University Coyotes. Next Saturday’s activities will include celebrating the Warrior men’s basketball team immediately after the women’s game. The Warrior women will be celebrated at halftime of the men’s game.
Be sure to check for news and updates on Sterling Warrior Athletics on Facebook (/SCWarriors), Twitter (@SterlingCSports), and Instagram (sterlingcsports), as well as the hashtag #SwordsUp. Watch the Warriors’ live home events on the Sterling College Sports Network.
