Sports

Ladyjacks start out 2-0

By Matthew Semisch

11/04/2014

The Dakota College at Bottineau (DCB) women’s basketball team got its 2014-15 season off to a near-perfect start last weekend through two wins at DCB’s own Kevin Thom Classic.

The tournament was formerly known as the Lumberjacks Classic. It renamed earlier this year in memory of the late DCB basketball player Kevin Thom.

The Ladyjacks opened their new campaign there against two Canadian schools. DCB won both games, defeating Canadian Mennonite 86-51 on Saturday before downing Providence College (Manitoba) 67-48 on Sunday afternoon.

Ladyjack sophomore guard Imani Scott, an NJCAA third-team All-American last season, led DCB on Saturday against the Lady Blazers with 23 points.

Freshman forward Mattie Schmitt also impressed in her first game for the Ladyjacks. Schmitt picked up 20 points and eight rebounds against CMU despite a minor toe injury suffered while playing for DCB’s volleyball team.

The Ladyjacks have three basketball players who also play volleyball at the school. Lexi Barkely and Zirahuen Hernandez were two of Schmitt’s volleyball teammates this fall.

“This was a really good opener for us,” DCB head coach Wayne Johnson said after Saturday’s game. “I thought we did a lot of things pretty well considering this was our first game and we have only had our volleyball players with us for a few days.

“Generally we are much more ragged in our opener, but we were pretty steady.”

Scott and fellow sophomore Chelsey Frazier then led the way on Sunday against Providence. With 42 points scored between them - Scott accounted for 22 while Frazier scored 20 - they together nearly outscored the entire Pilots team.

Frazier is a guard who transfered to DCB this spring from Erskine College in South Carolina. On Sunday, she led the Jacks in rebounds with eight and assists with five.

DCB’s offense did much of its damage from the outside on Sunday. The Ladyjacks hit 11 of their 29 attempts from three-point range.

“It was a totally different game than our first night,” Johnson said. “(Providence’s) size and the fact that they ran a zone defense changed the flow of the game.  

“They did a good job of neutralizing our inside game, but fortunately we shot the ball well from beyond the three-point arc.”

The Ladyjacks will be back in action this Wednesday in Belcourt  for a road game against Turtle Mountain. DCB will then participate in Lake Region State’s tournament this Friday and Saturday.

BRACKENBURY NAMED THOM SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENT

Before Sunday’s game against Providence, DCB freshman guard Shania Brackenbury was named the 2014 recipient of the Kevin Thom Scholarship.

Thom’s grandmother Harriet and sister Kylie were on hand to award Brackenbury the $1,000 scholarship.