Click the thumbnails to see photos and video highlights, and to hear post-game comments from Lauren Zawada, Makenna Hendrickson, Aubree Blackburn, and Coach James Fassett. Also click the AUDIO buttons to hear player spotlight interviews with Chloe Seymour and Hendrickson.
ESCANABA---The Bay College Norse women's basketball team cruised to a pair of home wins over the weekend, beating the Glen Oaks Community College Vikings, 84-45, Friday night, then topping the Milwaukee Area Technical College Stormers, 87-53.
The result moved Bay's record to 8-2 overall, with one more game to play in 2025. The Norse have now won three straight games after a heartbreaking loss in Illinois.
“It was a nice comeback from last weekend from the last weekend in Illinois, and it felt good,” said sophomore Lauren Zawada, who had a double-double in the first half of Saturday's game. “They're (MATC) huge, so we really needed to box out and deny post-entry, and working on our press so that it was hard for their guards to get it in. I think we did a good job of that.”
Zawada scored 22 points and added 13 rebounds in the Saturday win, after posting an impressive stat line in Friday's win as well (13 points, six steals, four rebounds, three assists).
“We came out a little bit timid and overly-cautious when we shouldn't have been,” Norse Coach James Fassett said about Saturday's first quarter, which Bay won just 16-13. “At the first media timeout, I kind of got on them about playing scared, and getting after it. From there, we definitely got going.”
Indeed, they did, outscoring MATC, 28-11, in the second quarter to build a 44-24 halftime lead, and the Stormers (5-6) were not able to handle the Norse defensive pressure. MATC ended up with 31 turnovers and had 23 personal fouls.
“Their zone slowed us down in the beginning, but once we started scoring against it and got moving, it opened the floodgates for us,” Fassett said.
It was an outstanding game for point guard Makenna Hendrickson. The Baraga High School graduate scored 21 points, had four steals, four rebounds, three assists, and she blocked a shot. Hendrickson also had a nice game against Glen Oaks, with eight points, eight assists, eight rebounds, two steals, and two blocked shots.
Hendrickson was in command all weekend, bouncing back nicely from a rough ending to the game against Oakton, Ill., one week ago. She also had four “and-one” baskets against MATC as she attacked the basket on offense.
“He (Fassett) just told me to be more aggressive and I just saw where there were gaps, so I just went up and it's a good thing they (her shots) fell,” Hendrickson said. “I think we definitely cleared our heads (after the loss at Oakton) and we just figured out what needs to be done. We grew from that.”
Mckenzie Hoffmeyer also had a great weekend. On Friday, she had 18 points (on 8-of-10 shooting from the floor) and then on Saturday, Hoffmeyer posted 12 points, eight steals, five assists, and five rebounds. All from the guard position.
“McKenzie just gets after it,” Fassett said. “She comes up with a big steal, she'll come up with a big shot. Kind of quiet out there, but big steals, big shots, big lay-ups. That's what Kenzie does for us.”
The Norse had four players score in double figures against MATC, led by Zawada's 22, Hendrickson's 21, Hoffmeyer's 12, and Jillian Fraser's eleven points.
The Stormers had no players score in double figures. Emani Summers had nine points, eight rebounds, and three steals. Zirhe Sellers added eight points, six rebounds, and three steals.
In Friday's win over Glen Oaks, the Norse raced to a 26-7 lead after the first quarter and were on cruise control the rest of the way. Bay had four players score in double figures that game as well, led by Hoffmeyer's 18 points. Aubree Blackburn was a force inside, scoring 16 points, grabbing seven rebounds, and dishing out three assists.
“I feel things went pretty well,” Blackburn said. “Zones are hard, and we've been really working on that in practice. At the end of the day, we got it done. In the first half, I was 4-for-4 in there. I just had a lot more confidence today. So I think that is what really made the big difference. I feel like our energy was better today on the bench.”
Nina Bower came off the bench to drain four triples and score 15 points.
“Nina is a very smart player,” Fassett said. “When she comes in off the bench, she really solidifies that group. We get some scoring, some goof offensive work, and some organization defensively.”
Glen Oaks (4-7 overall) did not have a player score in double figures. Nine different Vikings players reached the score book, led by Tayler Denton with nine points.
For Bay College, it was the fifth time this season that the Norse have won by at least 30 points. Their only losses have both came by one point. Bay plays one more game in 2025, next Saturday, against the St. Cloud Tech Cyclones in Minnesota, a place where Fassett coached earlier in his career.
“It will be a fun one,” Fassett said. “Playing somebody we haven't played that we're not used to. They have a great record (7-3 overall), Hopefully, we can finish up the first half of the year on a good note with a win.”
The game will tip off at noon CT/1:00 ET on Saturday. Tune in to the broadcast on FM-106.3, and on-line at www.radioresultsnetwork.com.
