The Ladyjacks Women's Basketball team is preparing for a tough conference and non-conference schedule but are optimistic about their chances after early season scrimmages and an exhibition game.  The team will get rolling for real November 2,3,and 4 at the MonDak pre-season tournament in New Town.  The Ladyjacks will play Bismarck State College in the opener Friday.  Game time is 2:00pm.   Here's a look at the 2018-19 Ladyjacks Basketball team: 

The Ladyjacks are looking forward to the 2018-19 season with renewed optimism.  After battling through a season of devastating injuries the team feels good about their chances of hanging another Region XIII Banner in the Woodshed.  Last year's team was playing well at the end of the season and a good recruiting class along with some solid returners should bode well for the Ladyjacks.

The return of redshirt sophomore Vic Obergfell is one of the biggest bright spots for the Ladyjacks.  Vic was coming off a 2017 All MonDak performance season and having a great start to the 2017-18 when she went down with a season ending injury.  Her return to form will be the first critical piece of the season's puzzle.  Vic can be a dynamic scorer and rebounder who can make everyone on the team better. 

Ellie Messmer is a returning starter who the Jacks feel has a bright future.  She is a dynamic rebounder and very strong offensively in attacking the basket.  Her last game of the season was probably her best game of the year and the Ladyjacks expect her to continue to build from that effort.

Breanna Thompson gives the Jacks a bigtime defensive presence around the basket and provides some solid rebounding.  She was one of the team's players with health issues last year and if that can be corrected look for Bre to become a bigger factor in the Ladyjacks season.

Quinn Billaney turned out to be a very pleasant surprise for the Ladyjacks.  She walked on after the Ladyjacks roster was hit with injuries and became a very big factor in the team's play, especially on the defensive end.  Quinn is extremely quick and has a motor that never stops.  She lift's the team's intensity level every time she steps on the court.  She will hopefully join the team later in the year after sustaining an injury while playing volleyball.  

Incoming members of the Ladyjacks team include Jazzmin Keplin, Taylor Keplin, Abby Iverson, Kinze Martinson, Sydnie Nelson, Jasmine Russell, and Maddie Uhlenkamp.

Jazzmin will be expected to make a significant contribution to the team's guard play.  She is a strong, fundamentally sound player and should be able to play any perimeter position.  Jazzmin will be looked to as a contributor on both ends of the court.

Taylor is an athletic young lady who the Jacks will look for to be a strong contributor on both ends of the court also.  They believe she will be able to knock down the three pointer effectively and be the type of player defensively who can handle the big assignment.

Abby will be looked upon to be a major contributor to the Ladyjack's offensive game.  She had an excellent high school career offensively and will be expected to adapt to the college game quickly.  If she steps in and adjusts to the speed & strength of the game it will provide the Ladyjacks with a very good wing combination along with Vic Obergfell.

Kinze is a player the Ladyjacks feel has a huge upside.  She is very skilled offensively and provides some much needed length to the team.  The Jacks feel she has the potential to become a "stretch big" on the offensive end and provide rebounding along with shot blocking skills on the defensive end.

The Jacks look for Sydnie to bring a very solid point guard game.  She has a lot of skills but her most important one is her ability to keep her head up and see her teammates.  This skill may allow the Ladyjacks to play at a bit of a quicker pace.  Sydnie is also a very good free throw shooter which is so important in guard play.

Jasmine will be an interesting player to watch develop.  She is another player who provides great intensity and length to the team.  Initially her game may be as an energy provider, defender, and rebounder but she is a sneaky scorer who should help on both ends of the court.

Maddie will be another key player.  She is another very strong, fundamentally sound player.  She is a bit undersized to play post in the MonDak but her strength and positioning should help her succeed.  Maddie is another "big" who the Jacks feel has a perimeter shooting game to stretch the floor.

The Ladyjacks are very optimistic about the upcoming campaign.  This may be one of the toughest schedules they have had but it provides a great opportunity for improvement.  What they believe is a very good recruiting class added to the returning cast of players should give them a great opportunity to be successful and a very solid team by the end of the season.  Their depth should be a major strength along with the potential to have a very balanced scoring attack.  Their rebounding and ability to handle the ball should be improved.  Key factors in their success will be the ability to knock down the three pointer efficiently and, as always, how the team chemistry develops.  It should be a very interesting year in the "Woodshed" and the Ladyjacks are excited to get the show on the road.