Beavers focusing on basics

I first started at the Bemidji (Minn.) Pioneer as an intern in the summer of 1996. That would begin six years as a news reporter, sports reporter and copy editor for a small, six-day-per-week daily newspaper in northern Minnesota. I wrote a large range of stories from multiple beats, to features to sports, my favorite being the coverage of the Red Lake Reservation High School basketball team named the Warriors. Here is a collection of my stories from my time at the Pioneer.

Nov. 13, 1998

By Devlyn Brooks

Sometimes not knowing anything about your opponent is more beneficial thank knowing too much.

But, at the very least, there are some advantages, according to BSU women's basketball coach Doreen Zierer.

"They don't know any more about us than we know about them," she said about tonight's opponent, Lake Superior State. "It gives you a chance to focus on your basketball. As coaches, we sometimes overprepare for a team."

The Beavers will open their season tonight at 7 p.m. at BSU Gymnasium versus the Lakers of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

Lake Superior traditionally is a strong rebounding team, which practices a very fundamental offense, according to Zierer.

Last year, they finished with an 11-15 record, and four starters return this year with Jill VanderEnde leading Lake Superior in scoring with 16.8 points a game.

And that's it for what she knows about the Lakers.

As for BSU, the Beavers are trying to put last year's disappointing 5-22 season behind them.

The young squad, consisting of sophomores and freshman a year ago, now has a year of experience and has been bolstered by several talented new faces -- including junior college transfer Sarah Carrier, who has earned a starting role.

Joining Carrier on the court will be returning guards Jennifer Ohme and Erin Walker and forward Peggy Hammel.

Junior forward/center Katie Olson, also returning, will complete the cast.

Walker led the Beavers in scoring last season, finishing with a 13-point average, and she was followed by Ohme with a 9.6 points per game.

Hammel, a standout on the Beavers volleyball team this year as well, goes from playing outside hitter Wednesday night versus North Dakota to playing forward versus the Lakers tonight.

Olson averaged just over seven points a game last year, appearing in all 27 games.

Zierer said she hopes to see a Beaver team that concentrates on their execution of offense, minimizes turnovers and wins the battle of the boards.

"We want to play up temp basketball. We play best when we're in an up tempo pace," she said.

The Beavers will return Saturday night for the second game of their season versus South Dakota State, a Northern Collegiate Conference power. That tip-off also will be at 7 p.m. at BSU Gymnasium.