• HS Hockey 12/20: Negaunee 7, Gaylord 2
  • HS Hockey 12/20: Orchard Lake St. Mary 2, Marquette 0
  • HS Girls BB 12/20: Negaunee 41, Westwood 18
  • HS Girls BB 12/20: Kingsford 44, Escanaba 29
  • HS Boys BB 12/20: Escanaba 38, Gladstone 36
  • HS Boys BB 12/19: Norway 60, North Central 59
  • HS Girls BB 12/19: Iron Mountain 58, Bark River-Harris 50
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Saturday December 21, 2024
Bay Women Catch Fire Late; Overwhelm Samsons

Click the thumbnails to see photos and videos, and to hear post-game comments from Kennedy Sproule and Coach James Fassett. Also click the AUDIO button to hear Lauren Zawada's player spotlight interview.

ESCANABA---The Bay College women's basketball team pulled away from a close game in the second half to beat fellow Upper Peninsula rival Gogebic Community College, 86-55, Wednesday night in Escanaba.


Bay led by just four points, 48-44, in the third quarter, before scoring 15 straight points, fueled by the play of Kennedy Sproule at both ends of the court.
 

She ended up with 23 points, eight rebounds, and six blocked shots, as the Norse broke a three-game losing streak with the victory.

 

“I think as a team, we did OK,” Sproule said. “I think of we could come out a bit faster at the beginning and play harder, and not wait until the second half. Defensively, I think I did OK."

"Sometimes, I could have been in better spots. I could have made a few more layups. But it happens, I guess. I'm just glad to be able to contribute and we played well as a team together.”

 

“Kennedy did great,” Norse Coach James Fassett said. “She's kind of turned into a rim-protector. I didn't know that she was going to be that. That's good because a lot of times, she's guarding the post, and in today's game, there's a lot of screen-and-roll stuff. And then finally, it's taken her a couple of games, but she's finally got aggressive offensively. I like that she took 19 shots.”

 

Bay put the game away with a great fourth quarter, outscoring Gogebic, 30-11. Fassett says the Samsons took advantage far too often on out-of-bounds plays, which is something the Norse will be working on in practice ahead of this Saturday's game in Minneapolis.

 

“These are basic plays you've been seeing since fifth grade,” Fassett said. “We just don't communicate enough, and we're not physical enough. On those plays around the basket, even on the offensive end, we have to be more physical, and not let (opposing) players get to their spots.”

 

“I think we're getting a lot better,” Sproule, a sophomore from Manitoba, Canada, said. “We just need to communicate, especially on defense. We got into trouble on out-of-bounds plays just because we didn't switch and we didn't talk through it. So, just more communicating, but that will come with time.”

 

Bay committed only nine turnovers in the contest, while causing 22 Gogebic turnovers with a press defense that sped the Samsons up far too often for Coach Kari Jacquart's liking.

 

“I've been happy with our defense for the most part,” Fassett said. “But I think we're still trying to figure out what we are best at. Are we best at a zone press and trapping? Or are we best at man-pressing and just bothering the basketball a little? We're still figuring that out.”

 

Hurley High School graduate Melissa DiGiorgio did her best to keep Gogebic (0-6) in the game. She scored 21 points, both inside and out, and had several “hustle” plays that saved possessions for the Samsons. Ewen-Trout Creek graduate Kate Borseth knocked down three triples and scored 12 points.

 

For the Norse, Menominee's Anna Axtell backed up Sproule with a nice performance of her own, especially during that second half run. Axtell ended up with 18 points and nine rebounds, just shy of a double-double. Axtell has scored 62 points in her last three games.

Norway's Jada Freudinger added eleven points and eight rebounds in just 22 minutes of play for the Norse, who improve to 2-3 on the season.

 

Bay College returns to action on Saturday in Minneapolis against the Lake Region State College Royals from North Dakota, a JUCO D-1 school with a 5-3 record so far this season. Game time is 2:00 ET/1:00 CT on Saturday. It will be broadcast live back to the Upper Peninsula on Maverick 106.3 FM.










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