Sports
Ladyjacks smash Canadian opponents at home, season-opening tournament
Tyler Ohmann
11/08/2011
It was the season opener, the Kevin Thom Classic, and two blowout, dominating wins later the Dakota College at Bottineau Ladyjacks basketball team stands 2-0.
The Ladyjacks outscored opponents Canadian Mennonite University and the Winnipeg Jr. Wesman 189-97 in two wins to open their 2011 season this past Friday and Saturday.
“This is an awesome opener,” said freshman guard Kali Engh. “BSC is in our conference, so it’s nice to see them play, and it’s fun to play teams that aren’t in your conference or region.”
The Ladyjacks played those teams to near perfection, despite only having a week of practice together as volleyball just wrapped up last weekend.
“This was the very first week of practice that we had, so it was a rough start,” Engh said. “Everybody came out and played as a team, even though this is the first we’ve played together.”
Did they ever.
The Ladyjacks opened their season by putting 58 points out in the first half against CMU last Friday evening. They finished with an even 100 in a 100-38 stomping of the Blazers.
“This was really a good opener for us,” said DCB Head Coach Wayne Johnson. “We struggled with our play in our first scrimmage versus Brandon U and needed a confidence boost.”
The Jacks got just that as they outshot the Blazers 49-21 percent from the floor and 44-19 percent from the three-point line.
“We shot the ball very well and did a good job sharing with 25 assists,” Johnson said. “We had great balanced scoring with everyone getting a field goal.”
Jackie Miller led all scorers with 19 points, but every Ladyjack on the roster had a field goal on the day.
Other Ladyjacks with double digit scoring totals were Kayla Nelson (13), Jordyn Sondrol (13), Josie Degagne (13) and Sharkira Walker (11). Sondrol also added 13 rebounds to lead all players.
Every player on the Ladyjacks roster is new to the program. They have one sophomore in transfer Lindsay Manning.
Engh said the lack of experience has left them without a leader, but not without leadership, or chemistry.
“I think we are all kind of leaders for each other out there,” Engh said. “I think it (chemistry) is getting better every game, and that is all you can ask for.”
The Ladyjacks continued their dominance on Saturday as they scored 54 second-half points to beat down the Wesman 89-59.
“A second good win for us, we did some things better but still have much improvement to make,” Johnson said. “The most positive thing was that we took much better care of the ball than in our first game.”
The Jacks again shot well from both the field (42 percent) and beyond the arc (37 percent) in the win. They also received scoring from nearly everyone, and it was well balanced.
“With the exception of our free throw shooting we did shoot the ball pretty well again,” Johnson said. “We have had some really positive play from our bench and that is really critical at this level. It was a good team effort.”
Miller had 14 points, while Sondrol nabbed 13 for the second straight game. Walker again was in double digits with 12, as was Degagne with 11.
Megan Green had 16 rebounds to lead the Ladyjacks. Walker finished with seven assists.
Despite a small lapse on transition defense, which Johnson said will be fixed, the Jacks played a nearly flawless game.
Engh finished the weekend with 16 points, three assists and three steals. Miller had 33 points, 15 rebounds and three assists.
The pair both came from Mohall-Lansford-Sherwood, where they played together for all four years in high school. Engh said their experience together will help on the court this season.
“We played together all four years of high school and even before that,” Engh said. “So, it’s always nice to play with somebody you played with before.”
The Ladyjacks will travel to Williston for the MonDak Preconference tournament on Thursday, Friday and Saturday this week. Times are to be determined.
“We have a real challenge next week with MonDak Pre-conference Tournament play,” Johnson said. “That will be a good learning experience for our squad and we are looking forward to the action.”