Hesston, KS -


The Larks secured their first win of the season and the first win of head coach Michael Smalley's head coaching career.  They defeated Sterling College JV by a score of 46-38, bringing their record to 1-1 on the season.  


The Larks began the game quickly with four straight points from Sydney Bontrager (So. Milford, Neb.) to put the Larks up 4-0.  Sterling added four straight points to tie the game back up before the Larks drained two straight three pointers, from Destiny Kessay (So. McNary, Ari.) and Aydan Everett (Fr. Clovis, NM) to put the Larks up 10-4.  Hesston would end the first quarter ahead by 7 points as they led 16-9.  The Larks started the second quarter slow, but they began to pick up the pace after Kirah Stepps (Fr. Wichita, Kan.) scored a layup, followed by a steal and fast break score from Natalia Bochenek to put the Larks up 20-13.  Hesston finished the half leading 24-16 over the Warriors.  In the third quarter, Hesston saw their lead grow to as much as 12 points as they led 35-23 going into the fourth quarter.  In the fourth, the Larks saw their lead shrink to 44-36 with just 1:13 left to play.  Kirah Stepps sank two free throws to put the game on ice as the Larks were able to secure their first win of the season by a score of 46-38.  Destiny Kessay led all scores with 17 points and she grabbed 9 rebounds as well.  Sydney Bontrager continued to dominate on the boards as she grabbed 13 rebounds, Sydney is currently ranked #1 in the NJCAA for rebounds per game as she is averaging 16.0 per game.  Kirah Stepps also scored in double digits for the first time in her collegiate career as she had 10 points.  


The Larks will now prepare for their next game as they face off with Friends University JV tomorrow night at 5:00 PM inside Yost Center.  Hesston will look to move their record to 2-1 on the season.