By: Nick Van Heest
The adage "The best offense in a good defense" held true for the Taylor women's basketball team Wednesday night in Spring Arbor.
The Trojans (19-8, 8-7) defeated Spring Arbor (9-18, 3-12) handily 73-41, holding the Cougars to 26 percent shooting and forcing 27 turnovers.
"We did a great job of getting through off-ball screens and playing help side," said senior guard Tess Rudolph. "Those were key to forcing a lot of turnovers and making them take bad shots."
"Typically, when our defense is strong it leads to a positive outcome," added junior guard Kelci Freds.
Senior forwards Erin Guarneri and Erika Redweik led all scorers with 14 points as the Trojans secured a season sweep of the Cougars and won six out of the last seven games. Redweik pulled down a game-high nine rebounds, while Guarneri dished out a team-high five assists.
"We came out with a lot of energy," said Head Coach Tena Krause. "Our pressure and aggressiveness on the defensive end took them out of their rhythm offensively."
Redweik highlighted defense as key to the team's success.
"It all comes down to defense. We will have to win the rest of our games on that end of the floor. When we are playing good, tough defense our offense develops."
Taylor began the contest strong, taking an 8-0 lead in the opening minutes through baskets by Garneri, Redweik and junior guard Kelsey Bryant.
Spring Arbor fought back with 12 straight points, but Freds responded with a long 3-pointer to spark a 15-1 run as Taylor took control, building a double digit lead at 23-13 with 6:16 to play in the first half.
Taylor led 34-23 going into halftime, but the Cougars found themselves within striking distance early in the second period, cutting the Trojans' lead to 36-29. Junior forward Becca Daniels squashed any hope of a Spring Arbor comeback, however, as her basket with 17:30 remaining kicked off a 7-0 Trojan run that put the game out of reach.
"The most important part of our offense was that we really worked well together and gave it to the open player," Redweik said.
"We have a great defensive team and it showed (against Spring Arbor)," Daniels added.
Taylor received solid contributions from Daniels, who scored eight points, grabbed three rebounds and blocked two shots, while Freds chipped in with seven points. Rudolph added four assists to go along with her four points.
Taylor shot 45.6 percent from the floor, including three-of-10 from beyond the arc. The Trojans also hit 18-of-25 (72 percent) from the free throw line.
Taylor returns home this Saturday for a 1 p.m. matchup with Huntington in the annual Pink Out game. Fans are encouraged to wear pink to help raise support and awareness for those battling and survivors of breast cancer.
Next week, Taylor travels to Marion to face No. 1 Indiana Wesleyan before wrapping up its regular season at home against Grace.
Krause views the games against Huntington and Grace as especially important, as the three teams tussle for the all-important fourth spot in conference. This guarantees home-court advantage in the first round of the Crossroads League Tournament. Grace currently sits in fourth place, one game above the Trojans, who sit one game above Huntington.
"No matter who we play, we have to play as a team," Guarneri said. "Three wins to close out the season will give us the best opportunity to play at Nationals."
Freds is optimistic going forward.
"Our team has the skill and depth to beat absolutely anybody. The upcoming games will be extremely exciting, as they will be important in the final standings."
