Click the thumbnails to see photos and videos from the game, and to hear post-game comments from Emma Rutter and Coach Todd Ciochetto. Also click the AUDIO button for Victoria Paquin's player spotlight interview.
ALPENA---For the first five minutes of Wednesday night's women's basketball game between the Bay College Norse and Alpena Community College Lumberjacks, there were more turnovers than points on the scoreboard. The score was just 3-2, on a triple by Bay's Emma Rutter and a lay-up by Alpena's Emily Jackson.
But from there, after Norse Coach Todd Ciochetto growled at his team in the huddle, Bay stepped up the defense and finally got some shots to fall. The Norse forced 45 Alpena turnovers and rolled to a 82-37 victory before a large crowd on “Pink Out” Night.
It was Bay's 14th straight win after starting the season with a 4-7 record, and it kept the Norse in first place in the MCCAA North Conference standings, one game ahead of Mid Michigan.
The Lakers beat Delta College by a similar score Wednesday evening, making it more likely that the Feb. 24 showdown between the two teams will determine the conference champion.
The Norse led, 12-7, after the first quarter, and then took complete control in the second quarter with a pressure defense that the Lumberjacks could not handle. And on offense, the Norse were able to shred the “triangle and two” junk defense that had given them fits in the tight win in Grand Rapids last Saturday.
Bay outscored Alpena, 26-5, in that second quarter, and rolled to a 38-12 halftime lead.
Emma Rutter was hot from behind the long arch, knocking down five triples and scoring a game-high 23 points. Ciochetto barked at Rutter repeatedly throughout the game because of positioning and some defensive lapses, but he says, overall, she played well.
“That's because she made the most mental mistakes,” Ciochetto said. “She's a good basketball player. I think you heard me say 'that's fourth grade, that's fourth grade'. That's what I saw. She's too good for that. And then she played better. For her to get 23 points, eight steals, and six rebounds, and me still not think she's where she needs to be, that just says a lot about her. She's so important for us.”
For her part, Rutter says she's used to Ciochetto's critique, and uses the criticism as a way to improve her game.
“It's nice to score, but I've really been focusing on my defense and being in the right spots,” Rutter said. “I'm a little disappointed in myself from that aspect, but the shots were feeling good. I've been in the gym all week. I usually don't shoot that much, so it feels a little bit out of character.”
Kennedy Sproule shook off a slow first half to get a double-double of 18 points and 12 rebounds. She made seven of the ten shots she threw up, with three of them being triples.
Guard Ashlee Burchette had another solid game, scoring 16 points, with five assists and four steals. And fellow guard Siena Lingle contributed eight points and nine assists.
Forward Jada Freudinger battled through a nasty case of the flu to play 23 minutes, pulling down nine rebounds, and taking two offensive foul charges, to go along with four points.
“We're a really good basketball team,” Ciochetto said. “We're not just two people. They're learning how to play together against things like that (junk defenses). They know now how to set the screens we need to beat those kind of defenses.”
For Alpena (6-15 overall, 4-6 MCCAA), Jackson was the leading scorer with 12 points. Makalya Kamysez had seven rebounds.
Bay (18-7 overall, 10-0 MCCAA) will be back home for two games on Saturday against Muskegon Community College, and next Wednesday night against Kirtland Community College.
Those games start at 1:00 on Saturday and at 5:30 on Wednesday. Both will be broadcast on Maverick 106.3 FM, and through the AUDIO link at www.baynorse.com.
