Sports

DCB closes regular season

By Tyler Ohmann

02/28/2012

The Dakota College at Bottineau Ladyjacks closed out the regular season at the Woodshed with two difficult losses to quality MonDak opponents.

A 79-68 defeat against Lake Region kicked off the final week for the Ladyjacks and a 68-55 loss to Williston State ended it on Thursday.

First, on  Monday the Ladyjacks hung with the Lady Royals thanks to some much improved shooting.

The Jacks shot 38 percent from the field and 32 percent from long range, while the Royals shot only 37 percent, and 17 percent from beyond the arc.

The Royals cruised to a 15-0 lead to start the game, but the Ladyjacks bounced back to take a one-point lead near the end of the first half. By halftime the Royals had four-point lead, which they would not cease.

The Royal lead expanded in the second half as they adjusted to meet DCB’s approach.

“They got the ball moving better in the second half and really wore us down with their size,” stated Ladyjacks Head Coach Wayne Johnson. “We really got clobbered on the boards and had trouble keeping them from scoring around the basket.”

Despite that, Johnson was happy with the offensive effort the Ladyjacks put forth in the contest.

“I thought offensively we played the game the way we need to play to be successful,” Johnson stated. “We need to be able to spread the floor and make use of our opportunities to penetrate.”

Freshman Jackie Miller dropped 22 points and grabbed seven boards in the loss. Also in double figures for DCB were Shakira Walker (15), Kayla Nelsen (13) and Jordyn Sondrol (10). Sondrol also had nine rebounds.

“Overall there were many positives to take from the game,” Johnson stated. “We need to continue with that kind of offensive play while we step up on the other end as the week doesn’t get any easier.”

Though the Ladyjacks played against the MonDak regular season champs last Thursday, they were not intimidated by the Williston State Tetons, who beat the Ladyjacks 71-56 in their last meeting in Williston.

DCB battled toe-to-toe with the Tetons and trailed by only five at halftime.

However, the Tetons were too much for the Ladyjacks and in the end came away with a 68-55 victory.

“This was another tough battle in which I was pleased with the ladies effort but certainly disappointed in the final result,” Johnson stated. “We started slowly again offensively and that has hurt us in a number of games. I thought we were a bit passive to start the game but did pick up our aggressiveness as the game went on.”

Walker led the charge offensively for DCB with 14 points, eight rebounds and three assists. Sondrol had a double-double with 12 points and a team-high 10 boards in the losing effort. Miller added 11, but defense was the strongest suit for DCB on the day.

The Ladyjacks forced 24 Teton turnovers, and according to Johnson showed significant improvement on defense.

“I thought we played very hard and got some of the things we wanted to get done defensively,” Johnson stated. “They have a lot of weapons and create some difficult match ups, especially with their size.”

DCB finished the regular season with a 13-17 record and a 1-9 MonDak record.

The Ladyjacks will play the first round of the postseason next Sunday against Bismarck State in Bismarck, time to be determined.