The DCB Ladyjack basketball team got off to a tough start on Sunday afternoon and could never recover as the fell to ND Science 71-50 in Wahpeton.
The Ladyjacks had trouble getting their offense going early, trailing the Wildcats 20-5 after the first quarter. They were outscored by only 6 points total over the last 3 periods, but that slow start allowed Science to maintain their lead throughout. For the Ladyjacks, Melayna Four Bears led the way with 10 points, followed by Jayla Howard and Lauren Gangl with 9 pts. each. Shadlynn Severance and Trinity Goggles tied for the team lead in rebounds with 8 while Taylor Keplin had a team high 3 assists for DCB.
From Coach Johnson; "A tough first quarter put us in a bad position right away. We competed in the other three quarters but dug a hole we couldn't get out of vs an outstanding defensive team. I thought we had some decent looks early but struggled finishing around the rim. I was most disappointed in our 22 turnovers. We have done a great job taking care of the basketball this year, but they forced us to play a bit to quickly and we didn't handle it well. I thought we did a little better job on the boards even though the stats don't show it. They are big and athletic, so we had our hands full battling for every missed shot."
DCB heads to the postseason with a 12-19 record, but the Ladyjacks have played well against tough NJCAA Division One competition over the last couple of months. DCB will play in Bismarck at United Tribes Technical College on Wednesday, February 26th.
Coach Johnson says the team is prepared for the postseason; "The best news was that we got out of town with everyone relatively healthy. We were disappointed in the results of the Miles/United Tribes game as it now puts us on the road for our opening round of the Region XIII playoffs. We will need to play well but I am confident we will make a good showing. We have been playing better down the stretch and I believe we are ready."
Game time is 5:30 at UTTC on Wednesday. The UTTC-DCB men's teams will play right after in their region playoff game that night as well.