The Calvary basketball team extended their winning streak to seven wins in a row tonight with a 73-44 win over Central Christian College of the Bible. The Warriors used the three-pronged scoring attack of Anna Holloway, Anna Davis and Taylor Hunter as the team improved to 7-1 on the season. Both teams exchanged leads in the first half as the Saints started strong with a tough 2-3 zone the Warriors struggled to score against. Calvary took the lead midway through the second quarter by using their 1-2-2 to pressure Central and cause transition opportunities.
“The momentum of the game really changed in the second half,” Warriors Head Coach Tressa Shoemaker said. “Our 1-2-2 gave us a huge lift going into the second quarter and we kept building that momentum. We caused 19 turnovers tonight.”
“Every player on this team is so selfless and really looks out for each other,” forward Bam Manson said. “The first part of this season has been an amazing journey.”
The Warriors never looked back in the second half as they kept the lead throughout the rest of the game. Forward Anna Davis stepped up once again for Calvary as she finished with 10 points and seven rebounds. The Warriors continued to make key transition baskets down the stretch. Taylor Hunter led the way for Calvary as she scored 28 points and had five steals. Anna Holloway added a huge double – double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Bam Manson gave the Warriors a lift off the bench tonight with some important rebounds and possessions gained via loose balls.
The win gives Calvary their seventh in a row and seventh win in their last eight games. “We did a great job in the 3rd quarter tonight when we focused on defensive pressure to cause transition opportunities during the 20-5 run,” Shoemaker said. “Central is a good team and they made us work for it.”
The Warriors will be back in action on January 5 at home vs. Ecclesia College.
The Warriors played their 3rd straight road test of the 2018-19 season, and the team used toughness, energy, and desire to battle to a 99-89 win over Ozark Christian College on Tuesday night. The Warriors were coming off a 75-57 win over Union College on Saturday night in which the team played quite well defensively. Tonight they wanted to come out and set the tone offensively as well.
“It’s always tough to play in Joplin,” Warriors coach Matt Sanders said. “Ozark did a great job of doing what they do best. They have great shooters and kept hanging around the whole game. We knew they would make a run. They really scrapped and fought hard. Anytime you play on the road you have to respect your opponent. We did a good job of holding on for the win.”
“We stood together tonight,” said forward Jax Bell. “Each person knew their role and executed it fully.”
The Warriors weren’t about to back down going into Joplin to face the defending champions of the MCCC. Braydon Unruh had 25 points while going 7/9 from beyond the arc to lead the Warriors on the night. Zeb Green and Ques Harris were both huge on the glass as they each pulled down eight boards for the game. Ques finished with 20 points and Zeb added 16. The fourth double-figure scorer on the night was guard Jay Lems who finished with 15 points while going a perfect 4-4 from the line.
With the win, the Warriors are now at 4-4. Next up, the Warriors will travel to Clarksville, TN to battle Austin Peay University in an exhibition game on December 8.
Anna Davis rallied the Warriors inside, and Taylor Hunter provided the three-point range and transition baskets as the Lady Warriors defeated Ozark Christian College 76-46 on Tuesday night in Joplin, MO “It was good to come away with a win when we weren’t playing our best in the first half,” Coach Tressa Shoemaker said. “We struggled in the first quarter and just didn’t get things clicking right away. Thankfully, we were able to make adjustments and come away with the win.”
With the win, the Warriors picked up their first conference victory of the season and have now won six straight games. They battled the OCC Ambassadors who came into the game with a 2-3 record.
In the second quarter down by six, the Warriors looked to make some defensive and offensive adjustments. The defensive pressure was turned up a notch for CU to get things rolling. The Warriors used that defensive energy to cause Ozark turnovers and transition baskets. Calvary took a four-point lead into half-time.
The Warriors came out strong to start the 2nd half as their 1-2-2 defense helped Calvary to string together several defensive stops, and started great transition play to find open shooters for points. “This was a complete team effort tonight when I see 22 assists and 19 steals in the game,” Shoemaker said. “We shot 47% from the field in the second half. We had great offensive and defensive effort.”
Taylor Hunter fueled the Warriors offense as she scored 31 points. Anna Davis added 16 while Hannah Sorenson contributed nine to the cause. As the game drew to a close, the team continued to force turnovers and consistently pressured the Ambassadors into tough shots. In the end, the Warriors were able to gain an important 76-46 conference road win.
With the win, the team moves to 6-1 on the season.
Taylor Hunter led the Warriors with 36 points, and 11 steals as the team pushed their winning streak to five straight with a 71-36 victory over Union College on Saturday night in Lincoln, Nebraska. Hunter hit seven three’s on the night which does put her in the record books for most three-point baskets in one game. “You will see Taylor break more records in the next few years,” Calvary Assistant Coach Kay Krahn said.
“We don’t talk about wins and losses but rather playing to a standard,” Warrior Head Coach Tressa Shoemaker said as the Warriors improve to 5-1 on the season. “We’re not as concerned with wins in a row but how many games in a row we execute to our standards. We did that in part offensively tonight by shooting 58% from the field, but we struggled at times defensively.”
The Warriors came into the game on the heels of an emphatic NCCAA win over Champion Christian College on Tuesday in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Union College came into the game with a young team that is showing steady improvement under Coach Ron Dodds.
Calvary stormed out of the gates with a 21-7 lead in the first quarter. The Warriors pushed the tempo with multiple fast-break layups to spark a 17-0 run in the second quarter as The Warriors extended the lead to 36-7. From there, Union could never recover as the Warriors went on for a 71-36 win. Calvary got great production from Anna Davis with 15 points on the night and from Anna Holloway who added 10 points and nine assists.
CU sees their next action Tuesday night in Joplin as they play Ozark Christian College.
The Calvary University Warriors jumped out to a 33-23 halftime lead and never looked back as they picked up a 75-57 road win over Union College on Saturday night in Lincoln, Nebraska. Calvary played terrific fundamental defense to hold Union to 23 first half points. Shots were contested aggressively and the team played solid help defense. The Warriors moved to 3-4 on the season.
“This was a nice team win for us tonight,” Warriors Assistant Coach Philip Parker said. “We had a great start defensively and we really needed it. Credit Union though as they never gave up and kept fighting back.” “Tonight was a total team effort,” added forward Ques Harris. “Our defense was what helped us win tonight.”
The Warriors bounced back after a tough loss to Champion Christian College on Tuesday night. Calvary and Union met earlier this season with the Warriors capturing a 79-49 win in Kansas City. As the Warriors took the court, the team was looking to climb back towards the .500 mark.
Braydon Unruh and Ben Jones sparked the Warriors offense as both players hit some big shots during the second half surge that helped the team seal the victory. The team continued to ride their defensive momentum throughout the second half as they forced Union into tough looks and limited second-chance opportunities.
Next up, the Warriors travel to Joplin, MO Tuesday night for a contest against MCCC opponent Ozark Christian College.
