BC WOMEN’S BASKETBALL WARMING UP TO SEASON WITH SCRIMMAGES
November 7, 2012

The Bellevue College women's basketball team hosted their annual jamboree on Saturday, Oct. 27. The Bulldogs played three 20-minute halves against three different teams. The first matchup was against Green River Community College. The game started out well for both teams. Defensively, the Bulldogs came out pressing and pressuring the basketball for the entire 20minutes of the half. This style of play allowed for all of the Bulldog players to see time on the floor. Standouts in the first scrimmage were sophomore Anne-Claire DenHartog, who medical red-shirted the previous season,  and sophomore Brittany Barrington who helped lead the Bulldogs to a 7th place finish at the NWAACC tournament last season.  

Next up, for Bellevue were the Raiders of Pierce College.  With both teams coming out with a lot more intensity and focus, the Bulldogs showed that they are capable of playing an up-tempo game. Pierce played an aggressive matchup zone and the Bulldogs responded well with quick ball movement and a balanced attack, allowing several players to get good looks at the basket and put points on the board. Freshman Alexis Berrysmith came out aggressive in the post position showing her athleticism and competitiveness. Newcomer and freshman Kaitlyn Bunger was a threat both offensively as well as defensively. Bunger hit multiple three-pointers and helped freshman Jori Hall shut down the Raiders best scorer for the last ten minutes of the scrimmage. BC’s Airashay Rogers was a spark off of the bench and Bellevue's Brenna Anderson had a solid all-around performance.  

In the final scrimmage against South Puget Sound Community College, it was a different group of players who set the tone and pushed the ball well for the Bulldogs. Taylor Anderson, Jessica Manca, Tayler Flemming, Lorraine Pittmon and Antonette Labausa played the majority of the minutes and finished out the final matchup of the jamboree.
 
The Bulldogs next scrimmaged Northwest University on Thursday, Nov. 1, at Bellevue. The Bulldogs came out flat in the first half of the competition, allowing Northwest University to score quickly and apply a lot of pressure defensively, forcing Bellevue to turn the ball over and make quick decisions with the basketball. With Northwest controlling the tempo of the first half, it was Bellevue who came out punching in the second half. Leading the charge for the Bulldogs were sophomores Anderson, DenHartog, Barrington, Demarea Caples and Chanel Cambronero. All five sophomores executed well on offense, owned the boards and played a more aggressive style of defense. Once the sophomores set the tone for the team, the freshmen followed suit. Flemming, Hall and Berrysmith all played big minutes in the second half.

Bellevue women travel to Moses Lake on Saturday, Nov. 10, to participate in another scrimmage with Big Bend Community College.