Sterling College

The Sterling College women's basketball team concluded there regular season last week with wins over Tabor College and Bethany College. Sterling finishes the KCAC regular season with a conference leading 17-1 record. Sterling's victory over Bethany gave the Lady Warriors their sixteenth 20 win season under Head Coach Lonnie Kruse. This is Sterling's ninth KCAC Regular Season Championship in school history.

On Thursday, the Lady Warriors used and outstanding defensive performance to hold Tabor College to a season low thirty-eight points. Sterling held Tabor to 15-55 shooting for 27% from the field and 1-13 (7%) from the three point line.

The Lady Warriors were led in scoring by Freshman Britany Gasper with 19 points and six rebounds. Junior Ashley Kraft chipped in fifteen points and nine rebounds.

On Saturday, the Lady Warriors traveled to Bethany College for a match up with the Swedes. The last time out Sterling racked up a twenty-five point win in Sterling. Bethany came out firing on all cylinders and lead a good part of the first half. Sterling led by nine at the 13:46 mark but Bethany used a 22-5 run to take the lead away 27-22. Sterling fought back and tied the game at thirty off a Kraft field goal and built a 41-36 lead into halftime.

In the second half, the Warriors used some hot shooting (57%) to blow the lead open by as many as seventeen winning the game 86-70. Kraft led the Lady Warriors in scoring with her eighth double-double of the season tallying eighteen points and fourteen rebounds. Freshman Cami Racette had a career high fourteen points and Gasper added thirteen.

Sterling will be the #1 seed in the upcoming KCAC tournament this week and have received an automatic bid to the NAIA Div II Women's National Tournament in Sioux City, IA. March 12-17.

(Photo's courtesy of Grayson Graves)