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MMC Notebook: Lancers Embark On Challenging Stretch
BY SCOTT MORRISON
sports@yankton.net
The Mount Marty College women’s basketball team couldn’t start Great Plains Athletic conference play any tougher.
The Lancers (8-2) face the top two ranked teams in the nation, starting with top-ranked Morningside College (11-0) tonight and No. 2 Hastings College (8-1) on Saturday.
“The GPAC is extremely tough, add the fact that we open with the No. 1 team in Morningside and the No. 2 team in Hastings and we obviously could not start out any tougher,” Lancer coach Tom Schlimgen said.
Already battling a number of injuries and illnesses, the Lancers are facing their greatest challenges of the young season.
Having already defeated nationally-ranked Black Hills State University on Nov. 10 — 60-44 — at home, the Lancers aren’t in completely unfamiliar waters. However it has not yet been to this degree.
Schlimgen stressed the importance of playing at home and living up to their high expectations.
“We need to take pride in playing at home,” Schlimgen said. “If we want to be a contender in our conference, then we need to play like contenders.”
Against Morningside, the Lancers face a team that thrives on defensive pressure.
“Morningside is a very unique team. They all about zone defense and zone pressure in full court and half court,” Schlimgen said. “They try to create a lot of turnovers and want the game played fast.”
Their offense feeds off of turnovers. Not only are they strong in the post, but they can shoot well and dribble drive if necessary.
Towering Presence
Looking around the GPAC, one won’t find many players that stand above Lancers center Jared Wall (Sr.). Standing at 6-foot-9, Wall provides the Lancers with a threat on both offense and defense.
Wall came to the Lancers last year after a standout high school career Dakota Valley High School, but didn’t play much on varsity. He took the initiative to improve and now plays a key role as a starter for the Lancers.
Lancers coach Jim Thorson was particularly impressed with Wall’s improvement.
“I’ve always felt that Jared had potential, but the improvements he made in the offseason have helped a lot,” Thorson said.
Of his abilities, Wall has proven that he can run the floor well and handle the ball decently for a big man. However, one area that he needs improvement in is his strength.
Although Wall is the tallest member on the Lancers squad, coach Thorson believes more strength would allow him to be a great player.
“Jared needs to put on some weight so that he can get stronger,” Thorson said. “This will help him to post up and secure his position on both sides of the ball.”
In his first year at the varsity level, Wall is putting up some impressive numbers. He is third on the team with 9.3 points per game, second in rebounding with 4.8 per game and first with 2.0 blocks per game.
Men’s GPAC Opener
Similarly to the women’s team, the MMC men (2-7) have a difficult GPAC path ahead of them. They start off with Morningside College (7-1) at home tonight.
Although they lost a number of seniors, the Mustangs came in to the season projected to finish third in the GPAC.
Coming into the season with only three seniors on the team, the Mustangs were young. However, they have matured already this season. Their only loss of the season came at the hands of the University of St. Mary’s (KS) at 80-77.
After winning their first two games of the year, the Lancers are hoping to put together a solid contest against the Mustangs, but they know it won’t be easy.
“We start off the conference schedule rough,” Thorson said. “The bright side is that we play at home.”
Thorson said that his main concern at present is his defense’s performance.
“Right now I am concerned about defense. We need to be more consistent and need to stop penetration and open shots,” Thorson said.
On offense, the key to the Lancers success will come through rebounding and shooting. In the past two games the Lancers have been able to secure rebounds and allow their offense extra opportunities.
The Lancers (8-2) face the top two ranked teams in the nation, starting with top-ranked Morningside College (11-0) tonight and No. 2 Hastings College (8-1) on Saturday.
“The GPAC is extremely tough, add the fact that we open with the No. 1 team in Morningside and the No. 2 team in Hastings and we obviously could not start out any tougher,” Lancer coach Tom Schlimgen said.
Already battling a number of injuries and illnesses, the Lancers are facing their greatest challenges of the young season.
Having already defeated nationally-ranked Black Hills State University on Nov. 10 — 60-44 — at home, the Lancers aren’t in completely unfamiliar waters. However it has not yet been to this degree.
Schlimgen stressed the importance of playing at home and living up to their high expectations.
“We need to take pride in playing at home,” Schlimgen said. “If we want to be a contender in our conference, then we need to play like contenders.”
Against Morningside, the Lancers face a team that thrives on defensive pressure.
“Morningside is a very unique team. They all about zone defense and zone pressure in full court and half court,” Schlimgen said. “They try to create a lot of turnovers and want the game played fast.”
Their offense feeds off of turnovers. Not only are they strong in the post, but they can shoot well and dribble drive if necessary.
Towering Presence
Looking around the GPAC, one won’t find many players that stand above Lancers center Jared Wall (Sr.). Standing at 6-foot-9, Wall provides the Lancers with a threat on both offense and defense.
Wall came to the Lancers last year after a standout high school career Dakota Valley High School, but didn’t play much on varsity. He took the initiative to improve and now plays a key role as a starter for the Lancers.
Lancers coach Jim Thorson was particularly impressed with Wall’s improvement.
“I’ve always felt that Jared had potential, but the improvements he made in the offseason have helped a lot,” Thorson said.
Of his abilities, Wall has proven that he can run the floor well and handle the ball decently for a big man. However, one area that he needs improvement in is his strength.
Although Wall is the tallest member on the Lancers squad, coach Thorson believes more strength would allow him to be a great player.
“Jared needs to put on some weight so that he can get stronger,” Thorson said. “This will help him to post up and secure his position on both sides of the ball.”
In his first year at the varsity level, Wall is putting up some impressive numbers. He is third on the team with 9.3 points per game, second in rebounding with 4.8 per game and first with 2.0 blocks per game.
Men’s GPAC Opener
Similarly to the women’s team, the MMC men (2-7) have a difficult GPAC path ahead of them. They start off with Morningside College (7-1) at home tonight.
Although they lost a number of seniors, the Mustangs came in to the season projected to finish third in the GPAC.
Coming into the season with only three seniors on the team, the Mustangs were young. However, they have matured already this season. Their only loss of the season came at the hands of the University of St. Mary’s (KS) at 80-77.
After winning their first two games of the year, the Lancers are hoping to put together a solid contest against the Mustangs, but they know it won’t be easy.
“We start off the conference schedule rough,” Thorson said. “The bright side is that we play at home.”
Thorson said that his main concern at present is his defense’s performance.
“Right now I am concerned about defense. We need to be more consistent and need to stop penetration and open shots,” Thorson said.
On offense, the key to the Lancers success will come through rebounding and shooting. In the past two games the Lancers have been able to secure rebounds and allow their offense extra opportunities.
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