Lady Warrior Season Ends at Bethel

North Newton, Kan. – It was a must win game for both teams and Bethel had the homust-winme court advantage. With all of the right pieces falling into place earlier in the day, the winner of this game would extend their season and make the KCAC postseason tournament. If Bethel won, they would have the 8 seed, and if Sterling won they would have the 7 seed. In the end, the Threshers extended their season with an 80-70 win.

Hot three-point shooting by the Threshers in the first quarter gave them the early advantage, scoring 26 points to Sterling's 18 in the opening quarter. Bethel hit 6 threes in the first quarter alone and shot nearly 45% from the field. Sterling shot almost ten percent better, but with 7 first quarter turnovers they could not keep pace. The Warriors shot better in the second quarter, but still trailed by 4 at halftime, 43-39.

Each team scored 16 points in the third quarter, so Sterling needed to outscore Bethel by 4 points or more to move on. Sterling did not get any closer than those four points as the Threshers pulled away late in the fourth quarter and ended up with the 10 point win.

Alissa Heskamp paced the Warriors with 18 points and added 6 rebounds, and 3 steals. Korynn Clason finished with 16 points and 7 rebounds, and Kali Briar added 15 points. Bailey Young had a solid performance and just missed another double-double with 8 points and 14 rebounds, leading all players on the court in rebounds.

As a team, Sterling won the rebound battle, but lost in turnovers, assists, and were drastically behind in points off turnovers.

The Lady Warriors finish their season with a 12-16 overall record and were 9-13 in KCAC competition. They finished ninth in the conference standings, putting them as the first team out of the KCAC postseason tournament.

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.