For the first year the Bellevue College Bulldogs women’s basketball joined the Bulldogs men at the annual ShoWare Showcase tournament which featured high school teams throughout the day, then finished off with college contests. On Thursday, Dec. 22, the college match-ups found Bellevue facing off against the Highline CC Thunderbirds.
“There is always a lot of emotion when Bellevue and Highline meet since we recruit a lot of the same players every year and most of the kids know each other from high school and AAU,” said Bellevue Coach Brent Hermanson. “Highline is probably our biggest non-division rival, so our team is always excited for the game, and Thursday was no exception.” Coach Hermanson went on to note that ShoWare Center has difficult shooting lines for basketball, and can pose problems for teams scoring, but it’s great experience for the NWAACC tournament as the sight lines at the Toyota Center (in Tri-Cities) are similar.
Thursday’s game started off with both teams playing hard and clearly a little too excited, as neither scored for the first few minutes, and play was a little sloppy. As the first half progressed, the Bulldogs got on track and were able to take an 11-point lead into half time 35-24. With the exception of poor free throw shooting in the first half at 40%, the Bulldogs were able to implement their game plan and take an early lead in the contest.
In the second half the Bulldogs continued to execute at both ends of the floor, extending their lead and finishing the game with a 69-48 victory. “We always set defensive goals and to hold a team to less than 54 points for the entire game is a great accomplishment,” said coach Hermanson. “The Thunderbirds are very capable offensively, so it shows Bellevue’s dedication to the defensive end of the court.”
Sanda Milovic led the Bulldogs in scoring with 21 points and 12 rebounds, while three freshmen added double figure points as well: Jordyn Ohrt with 15; Brittany Barrington, 11; and DeMarea Caples with 10. Milovic also led the Bulldogs with 12 rebounds for another double/double and Barrington narrowly missed her third consecutive double/double with nine assists.
Head coach Hermanson remarked, “It’s also important to recognize the BC coaching staff as our assistant coaches work as hard as any in the conference and our scouts throughout the pre-season have been excellent. Assistant coaches Carly Fromdahl and Angela Jensen do an amazing job preparing the players for each contest. The amount of film and preparation for each scout generally goes unnoticed unless the team performs poorly, and with an 8-2 start to the season, it’s clear that the coaches are doing a great job preparing the players for the personnel and tendencies of the teams we will be facing.”
The Bulldogs (8-2) close out the pre-season with a trip to Pendleton, Oregon, to take on East region Blue Mountain Timberwolves(7-3) on December 30, game time 2:00 p.m.
Last Updated November 1, 2013
