Sports

Ladyjacks fight slow start to cruise past Mikinocks

By Tyler Ohmann

12/03/2013

Sophomore Tiffany Bradford scored a season-high 22 points as the Dakota College at Bottineau (DCB) Ladyjacks downed Turtle Mountain Community College (TMCC) 77-50 last Tuesday in Bottineau.

The Ladyjacks out rebounded the Mikinocks 55-40 and forced 26 turnovers as they blew past TMCC in their first meeting of the season.

“It’s always good to pick up a win, particularly when your entire healthy roster can see action on the court. That was the case tonight,” stated Ladyjacks head coach Wayne Johnson.

DCB started out slowly, but gradually added to their lead and were up  37-27 at halftime.

“We started the game a bit sluggish but thanks to some hot shooting by Tiffany (Bradford) and a good team defensive effort we were able to get to halftime with a lead,” Johnson stated.

Both the offense and defensive sides improved in the second half as the Ladyjacks expanded their lead and ended with a 27-point blowout of TMCC.

“We regrouped and came out sharper in the second half and took control of the game,” Johnson stated.

Johnson said that DCB did a great job in the second half of limiting the Mikinocks on defense. He thought they did particularly well covering both Toni Johnson and Amber Bailey, while limiting the Mikinocks to seven offense rebounds.

DCB did struggle some on offense, but Bradford was a key to the win.

“Offensively we struggled with our decision making and missed too many good shots early but Tiffany (Bradford) saved us with a seven for nine shooting night beyond the three point arc,” Johnson stated. “She also contributed eight rebounds and two assists in what certainly was her best performance as a Ladyjack.”

Fellow sophomore Leah Parizek added a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Freshman Imani Scott added 10 points, seven assists and solid defense throughout in the win.

“We had contributions from the entire roster and that’s a big positive going into the Thanksgiving break,” Johnson stated.

DCB, who improved to 6-4 with the win, will suit up again at 6 p.m. tomorrow as they host the Minot Air Force Base.

Notes:
Freshman Savannah Bruce has been a leader early on this season and is averaging 11.3 points and 6.2 rebounds per game.
Fellow freshman Imani Scott is leading the team with 11.4 points per game.

Sophomore Leah Parizek is the team’s leading rebounder with 7.3 rebounds per contest.

A Bottineau High School standout a year ago, Whitney Brandvold has transitioned nicely to her role off the bench for the Ladyjacks. Through 10 games she is averaging 3.5 points and 2.1 rebounds per game in just more than 10 minutes per game.