Click the thumbnails to see photos and videos, and to hear post-game comments from Lauren Zawada, Aubree Blackburn, and Coach James Fassett.
ESCANABA---The Bay College Norse women's basketball team jumped to a quick 18-2 lead and rolled to a 100-45 win over the Muskegon Community College Jayhawks in the NJCAA Region 12 quarterfinals Tuesday night in Escanaba.
The Norse defense forced 24 turnovers with a suffocating full-court press and half-court trap, leading to many baskets at the other end of the court. It was the third win of the year for the 24th-ranked Norse, who improved to 24-5 on the season, the best record in Bay College women's basketball history.
“We came out and we were moving really well,” Norse Coach James Fassett said. “We were just sharing the ball really well, and we got a lot of easy buckets early. We started off strong and we just kept on going. You start seeing the ball going in (offensively) and you just get more confident. I like how we came out and played the way we're supposed to play. It wasn't all perfect, but we got the job done.”
The Norse will face the Grand Rapids Community College Raiders in the regional semifinals Friday morning at the Ballenger Fieldhouse on the Mott Community College campus in Flint.
GRCC (21-9) cruised to a victory over Lake Michigan College in the other quarterfinal.
Bay sophomore Lauren Zawada got off to a good start on the scoreboard, putting in eleven points in the first quarter as the Norse took a 25-11 lead. McKenzie Hoffmeyer added seven points in that run, and then she scored two more buckets in the second quarter as the Norse cruised to a 57-19 lead at halftime.
“He (Fassett) told us that we're one-and-done from here, so just go out and give it our all,” Zawada said. “It's our last home game, and he just wanted us to do what we do. Play our game. And I think we did that tonight.”
The Norse had seven different players score in that second quarter when the girls outscored Muskegon, 32-8, again, with the defense forcing multiple turnovers.
Muskegon (11-14 overall) had just six players, and the Norse pressure wore them down as the night went on. Center Anna Lundquist led the Jayhawks with nine points and 13 rebounds. Point guard Shamari Hamilton had 12 points and six rebounds.
Bay College was led by Zawada's double-double of 21 points and eleven rebounds on Sophomore Night, which was postponed because of a Mackinac Bridge closer in late February. Zawada also had six steals on defense. Fellow Bronco McKenzie Hoffmeyer also had a double-double with 19 points and 12 rebounds.
“I think we were communicating on defense and getting all over the place,” Zawada said. “We rebounded well (61-35). There's still room for improvement on those, but I think that we were talking well tonight.”
Sophomore Makenna Hendrickson just missed a double-double, with 12 points and nine rebounds. Freshman Aubree Blackburn also contributed 12 points and five boards.
“I think we started off really fast,” Blackburn said. “We had the first 15 or so points, I think. We were just on a roll. I think we played great defensively, and everything was going in for us (on offense) at first. I just think it was a really great game. I haven't been scoring a lot the past few games so it felt good to get some points up there.”
Freshman Jillian Fraser sank four three-point baskets to become the fifth Norse player to score in double figures.
And on Sophomore Night, Zawada reflected on her two-career Norse career. Zawada, Hoffmer, Makenna Hendrickson, and Gracie Kleikamp were all given a bouquet of flowers and a plaque to commemorate the night.
“It's been special,” Zawada said. “I like that it was close to home. It felt like I had a nice support system here, and just continuing to play the game that I love. It 's been a reallly fun time here.”
With Tuesday's win, Bay College advances to the NJCAA Region 12 semifinals for the third straight season. They'll try to keep their season rolling against a former MCCAA North conference rival, GRCC, at 11 am on Friday.
“I know that they're big and they can shoot well,” Zawada said. “We're playing early in the morning, which is different, but I would just say go at it like any other game and play our hearts out. It's going to be someone's last game.”
“I think it will be a cool experience, for sure,” Blackburn added of her first trip to the regional semifinals.
The Bay-GRCC game Friday morning will be broadcast live on FM-106.3.
