Sports

Ladyjacks drop two in eastward visit

By Tyler Ohmann

01/10/2012

The Dakota College at Bottineau Ladyjacks had a hard time shaking off the cobwebs as they traveled to Minnesota for their first action following the holiday break and came up winless in two contests.

On Friday the Ladyjacks opened up against Rainy River Community College and fell to a 62-56 defeat.
Coach Wayne Johnson was disappointed in the Ladyjacks opener. The Jacks were 10-5 before the break.

“This was a very disappointing way for us to start 2012,” Johnson stated. “We really struggled offensively and had trouble defending their point guard.”

The Ladyjacks shot a poor 5-of-26 from long range, which troubled Johnson.

“In spite of improving defensively we just never got going offensively,” Johnson stated. “Our execution was not good coming off the break.  We shot poorly and had too many ball handling mistakes.”

Jackie Miller led the Ladyjacks with 17 points, six rebounds and five assists. Freshman Jordyn Sondrol also had a solid game with 15 points, 13 boards and four steals.

Off the bench Kayla Nelsen netted 12 points for the Ladyjacks.

Their main problem came from Rainy River guard Lenae Rash, who had 27 points to lead all scorers.

“She (Rash) dominated the first half with 17 points and set opportunities up for others,” Johnson stated. “We did a better job on her the second half limiting her to 10 points and did a better job of disrupting their offense.”

Saturday did not fair any better for the Ladyjacks as they dropped their second straight to host Northland Community and Technical College 59-49.

The Pioneers jumped out from the gate and were off to the races nabbing a 19-2 lead in the first half. Before long they led 23-5.

The Ladyjacks fought back in the second half, but were unable to bring the come back full circle.

Johnson was happy with the comeback effort.

“I was pleased at how we competed and battled in the final 30 minutes,” Johnson stated. “We got back in the game and had a chance with the score at 51-48 with three minutes left but they made more plays at the end.”

The Ladyjacks were led again by Sondrol, who had 10 points and 13 boards. Megan Green also had a double-double with 10 points and a team-high 18 boards.

Green also led the Ladyjacks with four assists, two steals and two blocked shots.

The achilles heel for the Ladyjacks in the game was turnovers.

“We played fairly well defensively except for our transition ‘D,’” Johnson stated. “Their points in transition and our 32 turnovers were definitely the major factors in the game.”

Johnson hopes to move on and regain some confidence this weekend as the Ladyjacks will take part in the Turtle Mountain Classic in Belcourt on Saturday and Sunday.

“We certainly have work to do to get back to how we were playing in 2011.  We need to cut our ball-handling mistakes and improve our offensive execution,” Johnson stated. “I believe with good focus and work we will find our mojo in both areas.”

Following the pair of losses the Ladyjacks dropped to 10-7 on the season.