Sports
Jacks in full stride as season's end nears
Tyler Ohmann
02/11/2014
Wins over Bismarck State College (BSC) and United Tribes Technical College (UTTC) this past week made the Dakota College at Bottineau (DCB) self-proclaimed “I-94 Invite Champs.”
The I-94 Invite, so-named because that’s the road that leads to Nationals in March, was the clever way to help motivate the team during a tough stretch of games.
It worked.
The first leg was the overtime win over Lake Region on Jan. 27. Win two came in a 91-78 victory over BSC last Monday night.
In that game the Jacks had the added pressure of playing former Bottineau High star Justin McCloud in front of a crowded Woodshed audience.
“Coming into this game that there was a buzz going around town from how exciting our previous game was against Lake Region,” stated Jacks assistant coach Dano Fagerlund. “We knew that with this buzz, we were going to get more fans at the game than we have in the past.”
They were right, as fans poured in and there was barely room for anyone to sit. It set the stage for a good game.
Early on the Jacks defense was a bit porous, as McCloud started out hot, and was in double digits before the midway point of the first half.
Not to mention that despite strong moves to the hoop, DCB’s shots were not falling.
“Our guys were getting good shots, but the ball just wouldn’t fall through the net,” Fagerlund stated. “As the first half came to a close, the guys started to settle in and started playing Lumberjack basketball.”
DCB played the way of the end of the first half, and came away with a strong 13-point win.
In the victory they survived a strong performance from McCloud, who scored 28 points on 10-of-13 shooting, including 5-7 from beyond the arc. He also added six boards and three steals.
A team effort from the Jacks helped them earn the win.
Vasquez was their leader with 17 points and 10 rebounds, but it was a far cry from the 53 he scored in the win against the Royals.
However, another stepped up for DCB as sophomore Billy Engel had one of his strongest of the season with 14 points. Jalyn Turner added 14 points, while Xavier Cruz had 13 points.
Patrick Robinson provided a spark off the bench with 12 points in 11 minutes.
“The second half our guys got a sense of urgency and turned up their intensity,” Fagerlund stated. “This win was truly a team effort.”
Following the win over the Mystics DCB still had one more game left in the I-94 Invite, and that was against a strong UTTC team that has lost only once at home, and nearly upset the Jacks in Bottineau earlier this season.
On top of that both coaches had colds, which affected the Jacks’ preparation.
However, it did not seem evident because the Jacks hopped out to an early lead, scoring 16 of the first 22 points in transition.
DCB led 47-40 at halftime, as the game remained close.
It would not for long as the Jacks played a stellar second half to earn a 94-71 victory over the Thunderbirds.
Vasquez went 7-for-12 from the field and led the Jacks with 23 points. Engel and Cruz each had 12 points to help the Jacks earn their I-94 title.
“The team came together and once again played Lumberjack basketball and finished the game in an exciting and enjoyable way,” Fagerlund stated.
The wins improved the Jacks, who are ranked No. 16 in Division II NJCAA, to 23-4 overall and 5-2 in the MonDak conference.
DCB gets the week off as their next contest does not come until Feb. 17 when they host MonDak rival North Dakota State College of Science at 8 p.m.
Vasquez named MonDak Player of the Week
For the second time this season DCB sophomore guard Julian Vasquez was named MonDak Player of the Week.
This one was well deserved as Vasquez scored a school record 53 points and added 11 rebounds and five assists on 64 percent shooting in an overtime win against Lake Region State College back on Jan. 27.
Vasquez also won the award for the week of Jan. 6-12.
He is currently leading DCB with 18.7 points per game, and shoots better than 50 percent from the field.