Sports
Ladyjacks rout two Canadian opponents at season-opening home tournament
Tyler Ohmann
11/06/2012
Two dominating performances in the Kevin Thom Classic gave the Dakota College at Bottineau Ladyjacks basketball team a very strong start to their season.
DCB played host to two Canadian opponents this past weekend and decimated them both in route to a 2-0 start to the year.
First on Friday the Ladyjacks used a strong offensive performance to breeze past the Winnipeg Jr. Wesman 89-51.
“This was a great way to start the season,” stated Ladyjacks head coach Wayne Johnson. “I thought we did some things pretty well for a first game of the season, especially with our volleyball players only being with us for a week. I thought everyone played hard on both ends of the court.”
The Ladyjacks took the lead early and it became apparent they would run away with the contest. DCB never let off the gas and scored 47 points in the second half to get the 38-point win.
Rebounding was key for the Ladyjacks as they out rebounded the Wesman 59-32.
“I was pleased with the overall rebounding stats, especially being a plus seven on the offensive boards,” Johnson stated. “Offensively we played very aggressively and shot the ball well from the field.”
Sophomore post Megan Green played strongly for the Ladyjacks as she grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds, dished out a team-best seven assists and also added 16 points.
Sophomore Jackie Miller had a team-best 19 points and eight boards in the win.
“Individually we had some excellent performances,” Johnson stated. “Overall it was a good effort and a positive beginning to 2012-13.”
Also strong for DCB were Jordyn Sondrol (11 points, 10 boards, four blocks, three steals), Shakira Walker (14 points, six assists) and Leah Parizek (seven points, nine rebounds).
Despite the win, Johnson said that there are still some early season mistakes that need to be cleaned up.
“One area that needs to be cleaned up is our ball security. We turned the ball over too many times and statistically we were at a negative three in that category,” Johnson stated. “Once we start moving together and grasping all of our team concepts I believe we can be a very strong team.”
DCB addressed their issues and then some on Saturday as they crushed the Canadian Menonite University (CMU) Blazers 72-28 in their second game of the home tournament.
“Nice win and a great chance for everyone to get productive minutes,” Johnson stated. “I felt like we improved on each of those areas from our previous game.”
DCB popped out to another early lead as they held the Blazers to an 11-point first half. The Ladyjacks defense was dominate in the contest.
“I thought we played very well defensively as evident by 42 Blazer turnovers and their 19 percent field goal shooting percentage,” Johnson stated. “I thought for the most part we contested shots, put decent pressure on the ball, and supported each other well with some solid help positioning.”
Offensively the Ladyjacks struggled a little from beyond the arc. After shooting more than 30 percent from three on Friday, DCB shot only 14 percent (3-for-22) on Saturday from long range.
Walker again played well for DCB as she led them with 18 points. Also in double digits were Sondrol (13 points, seven boards, four blocks) and Dominique Staten (12 points). Leigha Schmaltz led the Ladyjacks with 10 rebounds, while sophomore Josie Degagne swiped five steals in the big win.
“We had a positive plus 11 on the offensive boards and a positive plus 25 in the turnover battle,” Johnson stated. “Those hustle points are huge and will be something to keep an eye on as the season progresses.”
Following the two gigantic wins the Ladyjacks will look to use the momentum next weekend in Devils Lake.
“Overall I was pleased with the weekend,” Johnson stated. “We had great effort and learned a lot about our team.”
The Ladyjacks play three games next weekend at the Lake Region Classic in Devils Lake beginning on Thursday and going through Saturday.