Click the thumbnails to see photos and video highlights, and to hear post-game comments from Cam Carver-Bonner and Jada Freudinger. Also click the AUDIO button to hear Kennedy Sproule's player spotlight interview.

ESCANABA---The Bay College Norse women's basketball team headed into the Christmas Break on Saturday by grinding out a 55-49 win over the Gogebic Community College Samsons at the Bay College Gym. It was Bay's second win of the weekend, and allowed the team to improve its record to 6-7 headed into the ten-day break.
 

“We should have won by more, but the last game before break came into play, too,” Norse Coach Todd Ciochetto said. “I thought we had really good energy early. I don't think we were 'ready to go home', which was good. We did some good things. We can't be 6-for-16 on free throws, and we talked about that after the game. The girls actually brought it up. It was good for us to get this going into break.”

Norway High School graduate Jada Freudinger scored 14 points, grabbed seven rebounds, and more importantly in a tight game like this, played excellent defense on Gogebic's Kylee Hewitt, holding the Samsons guard to just a pair of baskets all afternoon game.

“I felt like I had to make up for how I played yesterday, and I think I did that,” Freudinger said. “I feel like they (teammates) know where to look, like when I'm open, and they can always get it to me when they need to. I still missed some easy ones that I should've made, but next game, I'll get it!”

“Jada was absolutely phenomenal tonight,” Ciochetto said. “She shut down a really good basketball player. She (Hewitt) was 2-of-12, with six points, with four of those on Jada. We said early on, if we shut her (Hewitt) down, we win. Jada played an incredible 40 minutes. She was really, really good.”

Freudinger scored ten of the Norse first eleven points in the first quarter as the teams played to an 11-11 tie.

In the second quarter, Kennedy Sproule and Ashlee Burchette both scored seven points, and the defense held Gogebic to ten points, and the Norse took a 30-21 lead into the locker room.

Bay took its biggest lead of the game at 32-22 in the third quarter before the Samsons closed to within 35-33 late in the quarter with an 11-3 run, capped off by one of Hewitt's two baskets. Burchette immediately responded with a triple to restore a 38-33 Bay lead with 1:42 left in the third quarter. And Burchette's “and-one” basket with less than one second left in the quarter gave Bay a 42-34 lead.

In the fourth quarter, Hanna Hoskin got hot for the Samsons, knocking down four three-point baskets. GCC did not make a two-point basket or a free throw in the entire fourth quarter, but those four threes, along with one by Kate Borseth, kept them close.

The Samsons never did take the lead though. After Hoskin cut the Bay lead to 50-46, Cam Carver-Bonner made a huge basket with 1:42 left to give the Norse a six-point lead.

“She played better than she has,” Ciochetto said. “I think the focus was there, and I think she's got more in the tank, too. Hopefully that carries over the rest of the season for her.”

Carver-Bonner had six points, five rebounds, one assist, and one blocked shot. She was happy with her performance after some earlier struggles this season, and also gives her family members credit for the improvement in her game.

“I just feel really excited to be able to help my team and get everybody hyped and confident and to keep going,” Carver-Bonner said. “It (the basket at the end) was just really exciting for me. Honestly, I was just playing. Talking with my family, they always support me, and tell me about things that I need to do. It just calms me down because we talk right before the games, and after the games.”

Boresth's triple with 40 seconds left cut it to 52-49, but she fouled out moments later, and the Norse wrapped it up with a Burchette free throw with 14 seconds left to play. Bay added two free throws from Siena Lingle to ice it with seven seconds left on the clock.

Burchette wound up leading the Norse in scoring with 17 points, but it came on 6-of-22 shooting from the floor. Lingle struggled on offense, making only one of her eight shot attempts, but she contributed a team-high ten rebounds. Sproule just missed a double-double, getting nine points and nine rebounds in the victory.

Boresth led Gogebic (1-7 overall) with 22 points, and Hoskin added 14 points. Hoskin had seven rebounds to go along with those points.

“I feel like we played good,” Freudinger said. “We played more as a team. More aggressive. We're getting better.”

Bay College (6-7 overall) will be back in action on Friday, Dec. 29, at a tournament in Wisconsin Dells. They'll face the Madison College Wolves at 2:30 ET. The game will be broadcast on FM-106.3 and on-line at www.radioresultsnetwork.com.