Sports
Jacks drop MonDak openers to Mystics, Wildcats
Tyler Ohmann
01/24/2012
The Dakota College at Bottineau Lumberjacks basketball team dropped their first two MonDak conference games this past week falling to both Bismarck State and the North Dakota State College of Science by big margins.
First on Monday the Jacks fell for the second straight time to the Mystics 117-100 in an offensive shootout.
Head Coach Ken Keysor cites a lack of focus and discipline as the key contributor to the 17-point defeat.
“My concern right now is we have players that can play the game, but sometimes don’t understand the mental aspect of the game,” Keysor stated. “Quoting Bob Knight seems to fit us to a ‘T,’ “You don’t play against an opponent, you play against the game.” Right now we are getting beat by the game because of lack of focus and discipline.”
The Jacks were out rebounded 64-39 by the Mystics, who also shot 57 percent from the field.
“Getting out rebounded 39-64 is truly a head shaker. We have similar size, but obviously they were more aggressive on attacking the ball,” Keysor stated. “We continue to be a sieve on the defensive end letting a team shoot 57 percent is certainly a good way to lose the game.”
Mystics point guard Malik Wood was a big factor for the Mystics. He finished with 40 points, nine rebounds and six assists.
“Needless to say I’m a pretty disgusted with our lack of discipline tonight in many areas. With that being said we certainly saw one of the best point guards I’ve ever seen play,” Keysor stated. “Malik Wood took us to school and gave us an education.”
Offensively for the Jacks four players finished in double figures led by sophomore Cameron Malzer who had 26.
Also in double digits were Jeremy Chambers (20), Jayden McMillin (16) and James Odneal (15).
McMillin and Odneal both had double-doubles as they grabbed 12 and 10 rebounds respectively.McMillin also added six assists.
“We will continue to work hard, but, to put it politically correc, we need to understand that it’s getting time to ‘excrete our waste product or get off the stool,’” Keysor stated.
An impressive night shooting the long ball propelled the Wildcats to a 93-56 dismantling of the Jacks last Thursday in Wahpeton.
While the Jacks struggled to break 30 percent from the field, the Wildcats dropped 15-of-27 three point shots; a 56 percent clip.
“As far as the game NDSCS shot the lights out,” Keysor stated. “In the past we could try and plug the middle to offset their athleticism, but this year they have multiple shooters that can flat out drain the long ball. Their length and defensive prowess certainly posed some obstacles for us.”
Keysor is frustrated with the lack of trust his team has on the offensive side of the ball.
“My belief is that we have several of our players that feel they have to shoulder the load offensively,” Keysor stated. “Our feeling is that although we certainly have players whose main job is to score, they must understand that it doesn’t need to be done alone. If we run through our offense then the looks will come, if it is the end of the game we certainly understand who will be taking the shot.”
McMillin led the Jacks with 12 points in the loss. Sophomore Cameron Malzer had 11 points.
Freshman Tyler Storseth led the Jacks with six boards and also added five points.
Keysor continued to explain the selfishness and responsibility he believes his players exhibited in the game.
“During the course of the game the scoring needs to come within the flow of the offense not one on the world offense,” Keysor stated. “At one point in the game we had 10 out of 11 possessions where only one person touched the ball and that is totally unacceptable.”
The Jacks dropped to 8-12 overall on the season and 0-2 in MonDak Conference play.
“The most frustrating part of this year is that we have moments of outstanding basketball, but they aren’t sustained for multiple minutes,” Keysor stated. “I know we will have success, it is just that during this part of our season with the MonDak every game will be a struggle to compete in.”
The Jacks will continue their conference schedule this week at 8 p.m., Thursday at United Tribes Community College in Bismarck.