Friday night the Lady Bears welcomed St. Louis Christian (Florissant, Mo.) to Haviland followed by nationally ranked Central Christian College of the Bible (Moberly, Mo.) on Saturday afternoon. The St. Louis Christian women’s program has not fielded a team in more than five years until this Spring semester, and although the college is a member of the Midwest Christian College Conference, the game would not count as a conference game due to their lack of a program in recent years.

The Lady Bears came out quickly Friday night and the game was never in doubt as they jumped out to a 40-9 lead at halftime. Every player on the team scored as the Bears overpowered the Soldiers 79-23. Junior RaeLyn Epp (Corn, Okla.) led the Bears in scoring (19), assists (8), and steals (8). Junior Shandy Edenborough (Goodwell, OK) added 18 points and 9 rebounds. Freshman Brittany McDowell (Fowler, Kan.) put in 14 points and senior Morgan Stander (Omaha, NE) also scored 11.

Saturday night the Bears took on Central Christian College of the Bible, the #5 team in Division II of the National Christian College Athletic Association. The first half was back and forth with the Bears leading for most of the half. The Saints, however, made one surge late in the half to lead by six at intermission, 28-34. The second half continued in the same manner. The lead went back and forth. The Saints could not get any separation from the pesky Lady Bears, largely because of their intense defense and some timely buckets. In the end, the Saints were able to connect on a few critical possessions in the closing 90 seconds and sneak out of Haviland with a 71-68 win over the Lady Bears.

“Our defense was what made this a game for us,” said head coach Ryan Kendall. “We created 21 turnovers and fought hard the entire game. It was a tough loss but I think it showed us what we are capable of doing. Central is a well coached, very strong team and we led a good portion of the game. I’m hopeful that we can build on the momentum of this weekend as we go into the Conference tournament in a couple weeks.”

The Bears were led by Edenborough’s 19 points. Epp and Stander each scored 14, and senior Kaylee Kershner (Great Bend, Kan.) scored 11. Epp also grabbed 10 rebounds.

Next up for the Lady Bears is a match with Northwest Tech (Goodland, Kan.) Tuesday evening at 6 p.m.