Sports
Ladyjacks split games in MonDak opening week
Tyler Ohmann
01/24/2012
The Dakota College at Bottineau Ladyjacks split their opening MonDak games falling to Bismarck State on Monday at the Woodshed and narrowly beating North Dakota State College of Science.
The Ladyjacks turned the ball over 26 times in a 93-66 loss to the Mystics last Monday in Bottineau. It was their second straight loss to the Mystics after falling to them in the Turtle Mountain Shootout the previous weekend.
The Ladyjacks fell behind by 10 at halftime and could not recover, eventually losing their first conference game of the season.
“The game was similar to our first meeting in that we hung in for a long time but they wore us down in the end,” stated Head Coach Wayne Johnson.
Post defense was the killer for the Ladyjacks as the Mystics post players combined for 57 points.
“Same end to the story as last time we played the Mystics but this time the action was a little different,” Johnson stated. “We did a better job of containing them in transition but they tore us apart in the post.”
Jackie Miller led the Ladyjacks with 15 points and Maria Espindola added 10 in the loss.
“Defensively we didn’t have anyone really standout and it showed in the result,” Johnson stated. “We need to keep the games in the 60’s and obviously things got out of hand tonight.”
The Ladyjacks used defense to knock off MonDak the rival Wildcats 51-49 last Thursday.
“Any time we can pick up a victory in the MonDak Conference it is big and this win was huge,” Johnson stated. “It was a real gut check, team effort on a night when points were hard to come by.”
The Ladyjacks led by as much as 11 in the second half, but allowed the Wildcats to get back in the game when they went on a 15-2 run to take a 49-47 lead.
Freshman Jordyn Sondrol then provided the heroics when she hit a game-winning three with 40 seconds left.
“While the game was not a pretty, well played contest it certainly was a test of our team character,” Johnson stated.
Sondrol led the Ladyjacks with eight rebounds; she also scored seven points and three assists.
Kayla Nelsen led the Ladyjacks with 13 points off the bench. Shakira Walker had 12 points, two assists and two steals.
“We really struggled shooting our shot, the three ball,” Johnson stated. “A lot of that had to do with the aggressive defense played by the Wildcats.”
The Ladyjacks were 4-of-21 from the three point line.
DCB’s win over NDSCS puts them at 12-7-1 on the season and 1-1 in the MonDak conference.
“Overall it was a great team victory with so many of us stepping up to make big plays,” Johnson stated. “We strive to be a team that plays with toughness and heart. This was a perfect example of us moving in the right direction.”
The Ladyjacks continue their trek through the MonDak conference at 6 p.m., Thursday in Bismarck against United Tribes Community College.