During the American Civil War, Gen. William T. Sherman employed a scorched-earth strategy of destroying any resources useful to the opponent while advancing through enemy territory.

The Washburn University Lady Blues practiced a similar method Monday when they defeated the Tabor College Bluejays 111-119 at Lee Arena.

This marked the Lady Blues’ 12th straight opening win. At 92 points, this was the highest margin of victory in school history with the 11th time WU has broken 100 points in a single game.

“The kids play and that’s their job,” said Ron McHenry, Washburn head coach. “We were looking for something to push us a little bit, and that’s what it is. We shot and blocked really well.”

Even with the vastly disparate scores, McHenry still saw the game as an opportunity for the team.

“We got to pace ourselves,” said McHenry. “Every time you’re going out, you’re trying to get something done. We worked against a zone defense, which we hadn’t seen on them. So that helps a little bit, too.”

With this being Shawn Reed’s first year as head coach at Tabor, McHenry had confidence going into the game, but even he was surprised by the final outcome, while still giving praise to his opponent.

“You never expect 90 points,” said McHenry. “Tabor over-timed a team the other day. [Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference] level is a little different. They struggled a little bit as far as starting.”

Perhaps one of the greatest assets to the Lady Blues was the Washburn pep band, whose cheering and antics caused Tabor to turn over the ball multiple times.

“Sometimes, it can be a little slow, especially when the games out of reach,” said McHenry. “They can keep the game going. They talk during it. They chant. Our pep band’s as good as it gets.”

With such a massive lead, the team got to play looser and allow for things that normally might not have happened.

“We got all of our team in, 17 players deep,” said Sierra Moeller, junior forward. “Everyone scored. It was just awesome because everyone contributed. It just feels good to win.

The Lady Blues next play tonight at 7 p.m. against the Southwest College Mounbuilders once again at home in Lee Arena.

“We know we’ve got some talent,” said Moeller. “We’ve got a lot of depth and we know we can compete with anyone, so we’re ready.”

According to McHenry, the difference between Monday’s game and tonight’s is that Dave Denly is at his 12th year as head coach at Southwestern.

“He’s got players in place that he’s had,” said McHenry. “They’re a more established program. They’re very competitive. Southwestern’s played us a number of times, so those kids have a better understanding of how to compete against us.”