The NIC Lady Cardinals returned to basketball in January and lost the first two conference games to Yakima Valley College and Treasure Valley Community College, despite strong play in both games. Against Yakima Valley, the women out-performed in every aspect of the game except shooting percentage, and against Treasure Valley, the ladies won the first three quarters before falling flat.
On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the Lady Cardinals pulled out a strong win at home against Big Bend Community College. The women played as a unit through all four quarters, which resulted in double digit scoring for several players. Freshmen Gia Sorn and Lana Berg collectively scored 31 points, in addition to the 22 points scored by freshmen Cierra Dvorak and Whitney Meier. Sorn ended the game with a well-rounded 16 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 blocks, leading the Cardinals to a comfortable 73-49 victory.
“I thought we played 40 minutes really well. We played the whole game,” women’s head coach Chris Carlson said. “The girls were just really determined to come out and set the tone for the second half. I think we had a strong second half because two nights ago we had a letdown [against Treasure Valley]. It was their determination that won the game.”
The ladies then hit the road, and came up with two losses against Walla Walla Community College, 69-58, and Community Colleges of Spokane, 65-48.
On Jan. 25, the Lady Cardinals returned home and logged a 75-70 win against Wenatchee Valley College. Meier led the women in scoring and assists with 17 and three, respectively. Other scorers included Sorn with 16, Berg with 15, and freshman Charity Marlatt with 9. The game remained relatively close, but the ladies were able to hold on.
“We just got back into practice and just worked harder and tried to get a little better,” Carlson said. “We had our court with a nice crowd, the band, the cheerleaders… it’s definitely positive. It definitely brings more energy for sure.”
The following Saturday, the ladies won away from home against Blue Mountain Community College, 60-44. Sophomore Shayna Albert had the game high of 16 points for NIC, followed by Berg and Sorn with 10. Marlatt also helped the Cardinals with rebounding, which helped lead to the win.
The Lady Cardinals then traveled to Columbia Basin College, where they fell, 83-6.
Less than a week later, the women recuperated and won against Yakima Valley College 83-76, with three different players scoring in the double digits. Dvorak led in scoring with 20, followed by Sorn with 18, and Meier with 17.
The ladies’ record is currently 4-5 in conference and 10-9 overall.
The Cardinals will be back playing in Christianson Gymnasium on Feb. 8 against Columbia Basin College.
