Sports

Jacks drop three with losses to Dawson, Trinity Bible and Northeast CC

By Tyler Ohmann

11/20/2012

After a positive tournament last weekend the Jacks hit a bit of a speed bump this past weekend at the Baymont Classic and also dropped a game to Dawson in the Woodshed on Thursday.

First on Thursday the Jacks hosted the MonDak opponent Buccaneers, but fell in a close match 81-74.

“Initially the offense was clicking on all cylinders, which simply means the ball was going through the net,” stated head coach Cory Fehringer. “Defensively we struggled to identify primary shooters early on resulting in Dawson successfully completing 11-30 three point attempts.”

The Jacks did trail by eight at halftime, but clawed back to less than five in the second half. However the shooting of the Bucs did the Jacks in and wound up in a loss.

Jayden McMillin led the Jacks with 26 points and 10 rebounds.

Freshman Kristoff Walker also had a good day, scoring 22 points and nabbing three steals.

Point guard Billy Engel had a team-high five assists, but also had a team-high six turnovers in the loss.

“Overall I was extremely happy with our team battling back from an 18 point deficit to make it a five-point game with less than two minutes to play,” Fehringer stated. “We showed character during moments of adversity. Better decisions could’ve been made down the stretch from the coaching staff, and players but that is why we practice.”

The issues for the Jacks continued over the weekend at the Baymont Classic in Wahpeton.
First on Saturday the Jacks took on the Trinity Bible College Lions.

The Jacks got in a hole early and eventually found themselves trailing 45-31 at halftime. DCB turned the offense around in the second half, but it wasn’t enough.

McMillin again led the Jacks with 17 points and 15 rebounds. Three other Jacks were in double figures as Dashamoe McCarty (12) Tyler Storseth (11) and Colby Boyes (11) each played well offensively.
DCB committed 36 turnovers in the loss, and forced only 19, which did not sit well with Fehringer.

“Turnovers also plagued our ability to have an opportunity to win as we literally gave the ball to the other team 50+ times in two games,” Fehringer stated. “This category is extremely frustrating because we do have power to value the ball by throwing strong passes, having fundamental footwork, and understanding how to make the right play.”

The Jacks fell again on Sunday as they lost 90-80 to a tough Northeast Community College team.
DCB were beat on the boards in the game, which Fehringer believes needs to be something that’s fixed if they want to win games down the road.

“Being a team that lacks size it is not necessarily an effort issue as the coaching staff will be challenged to develop successful techniques and strategies,” Fehringer stated. “Truth is we are not going to miraculously grow any taller as every team we play is going to have a size advantage.”

However, despite the winless week and the less than spectacular tournament, Fehringer believes that everything they are doing can be corrected.

“On a positive note, I believe both areas of emphasis are correctable. Nothing is broke,” Fehringer stated. “The fact that our team had a chance to win both games while dealing with poor play in these two categories should be motivational for our guys.”

DCB is currently 4-4 on the season. Their next action is at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 28 against Dawson in Glendive.