Mines rolls over Minot

By Jim Holland, Journal Staff | Sunday, February 25, 2007

Previous Page

Share

• del.icio.us
• Digg
• NewsVine
• Fark

Print

Email

RAPID CITY - It took a couple of emotional boosts, one from within and the other from the grandstands, to lift the South Dakota School of Mines Lady Hardrockers to next Tuesday's Dakota Athletic Conference championship showdown.

The Lady Hardrockers broke open a sluggish first half to pull away from Minot State in the second half, posting a 68-55 DAC semifinal win over the Lady Beavers on Saturday.

Both Mines and Minot struggled with shooting percentages below freezing before intermission.

Mines connected on only 9-of-30 shots for 30 percent, and Minot State was even colder at 27 percent (9-of-33).

"Obviously, we're outsized by

almost every team in the conference. We missed a lot of shots in that first half," Mines coach Barb Felderman said.

Minot State stayed close because 5-8 guard Kayla Rettig knocked down four 3-pointers in the opening 20 minutes.

Mines added to their 28-24 halftime lead with a 6-2 run to start the second half.

"Everybody realized it was do-or die," junior guard Jennie Malone of Rapid City said. "We decided that basketball is supposed to be fun. Let's make it fun."

The real surge seemed to coincide with the Hardrocker men's return from their semifinal road win over Jamestown College earlier in the day.

The men took their place on the sideline to cheer on their female counterparts and the added boost seemed to do the trick.

The Lady Rockers went on a 24-6 run to break the game open.

"We travel together. We work together. It's always awesome to see them walk in and see the whole crowd cheering for them, and knowing they're cheering for us and how hard we work," added Malone, who scored 17.

"They're the brothers, and they encourage each other," added Felderman.

Amber Deweerd and Melanie Vedvei each scored 18 points to lead the Lady Hardrockers.

Deweerd battled heavy Minot State pressure inside the paint for most of her points, while Vedvei's total included 15 in the second half in spite of playing with 4 fouls.

Minot State's doldrums continued in the second half, and Lady Beavers coach Sheila Green said part of the credit should go to the Mines defense. The Lady Beavers finished at 33.3 percent from the field.

"We didn't shoot the ball well. Tech had something to do with that. They played hard and played good defense," Green said.

Kendra Meyer led the Lady Beavers with 17 points, including 3 of 7 from 3-point range.

Jenny Castro pulled down 10 rebounds for Minot State.

"We didn't get a lot of execution from our starting group. It was hard for us to find good shots tonight and we didn't take care of the basketball as well as we should have," Green said.

Minot State's Kim Ramirez, a 5-10 forward, scored just 4 points and left the game late in the second half with a knee injury.

"That's a tough way to end a season," Green said. "I guess if it's going to happen, it's better for it to be in the last game of the year."

Minot State ends the year at 21-9.

Felderman said the Lady Rockers' control of the boards (43-35), and their forcing 18 Minot turnovers played a role.

"Up at Minot we got killed on the boards and tonight we beat them," Felderman said. "Those are big keys."

Mines (20-10) will travel to Madison to meet Dakota State for the DAC championship at 7 p.m. on Feb. 27

"We're happy with our overall year," Green said. "We're a little disappointed that we didn't finish things better off with the conference. Again, this is a tough league with a lot of great teams."

The Lady Hardrockers (20-10) now travel to Madison on Tuesday for a 7 p.m. matchup with Dakota State for the DAC championship.

"They're big. They're good," said Felderman of the top-seeded Lady T's.

"We beat them last time pretty handily, so I'm sure a little revenge is going to be on their minds."

"We've played pretty well over there the last few years, so bring them on," she said.