Skylights venture east for extended North Dakotan road trips

Skylights venture east for extended North Dakotan road trips
By Ryan Divish/Havre Daily News Sports Editor/rdivish@havredailynews.com

North Dakota. It's not just the fodder of Montanan's jokes. There is also some solid basketball being played in the Badlands, and the Montana State University-Northern women's basketball team will get to see that firsthand weekend.

The Skylights will be spending the next four days in the Dakota flat lands, with each team playing three teams against opponents from a steadily improving DAC-10 conference.

Skylights head coach Mike Erickson put it a little more bluntly: "This is the biggest road trip of the season for us."

MUCH AT STAKE FOR SKYLIGHTS

Erickson won't downplay the importance of this road trip, which starts tonight with a 6 p.m. game against Jamestown College at the Minot State tournament. Northern will take on the host Beavers, coached by Northern hall of famer Sheila Green-Gerding, on Saturday night.

The Skylights have set the goal of only three no conference losses on the season. With one already on their record, there isn't much room for more.

"To cover this many miles and to play three good teams, I would be very happy winning two of three," Erickson said.

Jamestown returns four starters and four reserves to a team picked to finish second in the DAC-10. The Jimmies are led by 6-0 all-conference post player Lindsey Ness. Northern defeated Jamestown last season and Erickson admitted his team must be prepared for a battle.

"Jamestown is going to play very aggressive on both ends," Erickson said. "They really put a lot of pressure on the ball and will show us some zone full-court pressure."

Aggressiveness was a trademark characteristic of Green-Gerding when she played at Northern, and it's a trademark of her basketball team. The Beavers suffered some wholesale losses to graduation, but Erickson knows they will be ready, especially on their home floor.

"Sheila always wants to beat us," Erickson said. "They are going to get right up into us on defense. They are down a little, but traditionally we don't shoot well in that dome they play in. We need to have the mindset that we will do whatever it takes to win each game. We're going to have to make adjustments as we go."

Northern will play its third game in as many days when it travels to Bismarck to face Mary at 2 p.m. on Sunday.

"It's going to be a tough stretch to play the night before, drive all night and get up early to play," Erickson said. "Mary has everybody back from last year and they've already beaten three teams in our conference. They are going to be tough."

Indeed, the Marauders were picked to finish atop the DAC-10 after going 32-3 last year and advancing all the way to the NAIA women's Final Four.

Mary returns All-American forward Jessica Zundel, who averaged 16 points and 12 rebounds per game last year. Also back is all-conference guard and DAC-10 defensive player of the year, Andrea Ronderos.

"They have great size, great quickness," Erickson said. "They are very tough to defend because they are so aggressive on offense."

If Northern is able to win two of three games - coupled with a few more wins - an appearance in the NAIA top 25 is likely.

"That's a goal of ours," Erickson said. "And it would be big. This is a road trip that either way, we will remember in March."