The #3 seeded Lady Warriors were eliminated in the semifinal round of the NCCAA DII North Regional Tournament on Friday afternoon as the team fell to #2 Providence 65-73 in Dubuque, Iowa.
“I feel for our young ladies as they have traveled a long way and really had a terrific season,” Warrior Head Coach Tressa Shoemaker said. “This was a disappointing loss for us.” The Pilots and Warriors battled earlier in the regular season with the Warriors winning the game by a narrow margin. With a trip to the region championship on the line, both teams took the court.
Calvary went up early in the first half with easy transition baskets. Providence fought back with tough three-point shooting and great rebounding to take a three-point lead into the break. As the second half began, the Warrior game plan was to stop the Pilot three-point shooting, and then the Pilots started to do a good job hitting some tough 15 footers while continuing to hold the rebounding advantage.
“I am proud of the strength, encouragement, courage, attitude, and effort these girls put forth every single day,” said Shoemaker. “They are always seeking to give of themselves and never take. They are seeking to give glory to God in all they do. They are not selfish and are a group that is forming a legacy that will win a championship one day soon.”
Taylor Hunter finished with 28 points. Anna Holloway added 12 points and 11 rebounds.
Despite battling back at several points throughout the game, the Calvary basketball team couldn’t overtake the red hot Moody Archers as the team fell 70-73 in the semifinals of the NCCAA DII Regional Tournament on Friday night. Ques Harris led the Warriors with 24 points and six rebounds in the loss. “We credit Moody and their staff as they played with a veteran poise that we just didn’t have all the way through,” Warrior Head Coach Matt Sanders said. “I thought our game plan was solid and I am proud of my guys for continuing to battle to the end.”
From the opening tip, the Archers jumped out to an early lead as Calvary found it tough to find the scoring column. “We missed entirely too many layups and easy buckets that would have pushed us over the top,” Sanders said. The Warriors weren’t about to go down easily as they came roaring back toward the end of the first half with solid defense. “At the half, we stressed to the team how bad they needed to want it,” stated Sanders. “They responded well and we were able to turn a ten point deficit into a lead with a few minutes to go. The lead didn’t hold up in the end as Moody ended up winning 73-70.”
“I challenged our guys that we missed getting that one final championship play,” Sanders said. “I felt like we were ready and that we would come away with the win but that just didn’t work out for us.” The off-season begins for us next week. This team is hungry and we are still on a mission.”
Zak Kirkman hit a free throw with under a minute to play to help the Warriors defeat a tough Barclay College Bear team 62-59 in Haviland, Kansas on Friday night. With the win, the Warriors are 4-2 in the MCCC Conference heading into tournament week. This important win helped them earn the #2 seed for the upcoming tournament that will take place in Kansas City.
“I am always grateful for every win,” Warrior Head Coach Matt Sanders said. “We had a long drive today. Barclay pressured us all evening and we were really fortunate to win that game. We were the best defensively we have been all season.” The Warriors came into the game after losing a tough one Tuesday night vs. Manhattan Christian. Defensively they wanted to make a big impact on this game.
In the opening half, Calvary held Barclay to 25 points. It was a great defensive half. There were missed offensive opportunities with some missed layups that would have given them a larger lead at the half, but the team responded in a large way as the second half was beginning. They came out and went on a 15-2 run to start the 2nd half. Turnovers once again were an issue but the team got key stops and rebounds when it counted most.
“I felt like we overcame a lot of adversity late in the game,” said guard Ben Jones. “We really came together as a team to get the job done.”
“These guys worked hard and we are happy to be heading home 4-2 in the conference,” Coach Sanders said. “It has been a long time since Calvary University has been in this position and we are just beginning.” Ben Jones finished the night with 12 points and 11 rebounds. He had a monster alley oop dunk that will be on the season highlight reel for sure. Zeb Green finished with 15 points and 12 rebounds.
The Warriors return home for a game on Thursday evening as the team begins play in the 2019 MCCC Conference Tournament.
Specs: Freshman, Setter from Lufkin, Texas. 5ft 4in
We are excited to welcome our newest Warrior to the Calvary
family. Kennedy’s fiery personality and compassion for her teammates are
evident to all. She brings a high competitive drive and volleyball IQ. As an
experienced setter, Kennedy can provide the type of energy and edge we need to
run a quick, powerful offense. We can’t wait to see how God will use her to
make an impact on the Calvary volleyball program.
The Calvary basketball team went 15-2 on the season as the team defeated Manhattan Christian College 71-63 on Tuesday night. With the win, the Warriors have now won 14 of their last 15 games and will go into the MCCC Tournament as the #2 seed.
“We knew it was going to be a tough game but this is the kind of win you have to have for a changing of the guard in our conference and in the NCCAA,” Warrior Head Coach Tressa Shoemaker said. “Manhattan is a quality program and they have been consistently getting national top ten votes throughout the season. We want to compete at the national level and we are doing that.”
The Warriors and Thunder traded the lead six times in the first quarter as the score remained close. Calvary was able to gain a 15 point advantage over Manhattan going into halftime with strong shooting from the guards and by holding Manhattan to nine points in the second quarter. “We were able to gain a good lead in the 2nd quarter and even though they came out strong in the 2nd half we were able to hold our lead with good passing and consistent rebounding,” said forward Anna Holloway.
Manhattan refused to go away and came out of halftime looking to get back into the game by spreading their offense out against the Warriors zone. “We did a good job in the second half of stopping their penetration,” said Shoemaker. “Manhattan did a great job with pressure at the end of the game to make that run.” The Lady Warriors were able to overcome that late run and full court pressure by the Thunder to finish with a 71-63 victory. Anna Holloway led the Warriors in scoring, finishing with 24 points. Taylor Hunter scored 15 and Shalom Sutcliffe finished with six points and four assists.
“Our team has been working all season on improving our inside presence,” stated Shoemaker. “During the first half, the guards handled the majority of our scoring. Throughout the second half our forwards impacted the outcome of the game in a large way both offensively and defensively.”
Next up, the Warriors will be at home in the MCCC Conference Tournament on February 15, 16.
