by Scott DCamp
Sports Editor
The Northland Community & Technical College women’s team picked up a pair of non-conference wins over NJCAA Division II opponents Gogebic and Dakota College at Bottineau, respectively, on Friday and Saturday, Jan. 4-5 while hosting the NCTC Classic.
Northland defeated Gogebic 75-51 Friday behind 21 points from Brooke Heggie and 19 points from Carly Mekash.
Defensive stops and efficient offense helped the Pioneers build an impressive 42-15 halftime lead against the Samsons.
“We played really well for the majority of the game against Gogebic,” said Northland Head Coach Shannon Nelson. “I think we executed our defensive game plan really well in the first half, so we were able to build a comfortable lead. We let up defensively a little in the second half, but overall we were happy with our performance and our ability to take care of the basketball.”
After outscoring Gogebic in each of the four quarters on Friday, Northland nearly repeated the feat on Saturday against Dakota College, outscoring the Ladyjacks in each of the first three quarters on the way to a 73-45 win.
“Dakota College is a well-coached team with some really solid perimeter play,” Nelson said. “We were really happy with our man defense, especially in the second half. We took care of the basketball again, which is something we need to continue to focus on.”
Northland point guard Janie Wunderlich had a big weekend, finishing with 13 assists and 21 points overall between the two games. “Janie did a good job distributing the basketball this weekend, which is one of her strengths,” Nelson said.
“She is good at creating shots for herself and others off the dribble — when she slows herself down a bit, she can make good decisions on where to go with the basketball. She did a better job of limiting her turnovers this weekend. She also drew the toughest defensive assignment against DCB, so she had a really solid all-around game.”
Mekash followed up her 19-point outing Friday night with a 34-point show on Saturday.
“Carly is just a work horse,” Nelson said. “Effort can’t be coached and she is one of those players that empties the tank when she’s on the floor. She has a knack for the basketball but good things happen to those who work for it. She gives us a lot of options on the offensive end of the floor with her ability to shoot, post up, and attack the basket off the dribble. She is a tough match-up for defenses, especially when they have to put two on Brooke inside.”
Northland is back in action tonight, hosting Central Lakes at 5:30 p.m. The Raiders are 1-0 in conference play and 8-4 overall.
Scoring 1 2 3 4 T
Gogebic………..11 4 23 13 51
Northland….. 25 17 22 11 75
Gogebic – Haley Grover 7, Don’Nikka Patterson 0, Bailey Froberg 17, Arianna White 10, Aiyana Nickel 7, Saundra Libertoski 3, Maddy Cronkright 7.
Northland – Ashley Moe 8, Janie Wunderlich 8, Jozi Halvorson 8, Carly Mekash 19, Brooke Heggie 21, Hannah Dietsch 1, Mya Hough 10.
Scoring 1 2 3 4 T
Dakota College..6 14 6 19 45
Northland……..22 17 19 15 73
Dakota College-Bottineau – N/A.
Northland – Ashley Moe 0, Janie Wunderlich 13, Jozi Halvorson 2, Carly Mekash 34, Brooke Heggie 9, Holly Steer 3, Mya Hough.
MCAC Northern Division Women (Division Overall)
Hibbing 2-0 12-1
Northland 2-0 10-3
Itasca 2-0 6-6
Central Lakes 1-0 8-4
Vermilion 1-1 1-10
Rainy River 1-2 2-11
Mesabi Range 0-1 1-7
Lake Superior 0-2 1-7
Fond du Lac 0-2 0-6