The women’s basketball team is marching into March with plenty of swag. When it comes to hoops, the Golden Rams usually give their fans something to cheer about.
The Golden Rams are 22-6 this season and have punched a ticket to this week’s national tournament in Rochester where they are the 4th seed. This is nothing new for Anoka-Ramsey, which is a pedigree program at the JUCO level.
“Be on the lookout for us in Rochester at nationals,” said sophomore point guard Makayla Holton.
Anoka-Ramsey is three wins away from winning yet another title. The Golden Rams are oh so golden again.
“We always find the kids that want to come play and we make the most of it,” said second-year Golden Rams coach Samantha Doucette.
The bar at Anoka-Ramsey is sky-high. The Golden Rams have won seven national championships and the expectation for this season’s team is to put up an 8th banner in their gym.
“Oh yeah,” Holton said. “Definitely.”
“Completely new team”
Doucette believes her squad has that special secret sauce to produce another title.
“This is a completely new team from last year,” Doucette said. “We don’t have a single returning kid. Seven new kids that you had to get to gel and guide. They’re special. They get along really well. They like to hang out outside of this. They are great kids. They’re funny.”
Holton – a transfer from Iowa Lakes – is the straw that stirs the drink for the Golden Rams.
“She’s just been a blessing for us to have,” Doucette said. “She’s really come on at the end of the year with her confidence. We lost our point guard midway through the season and she’s taking on a role I think that she’s not used to all the time. She’s been doing an awesome job with that.”
Holton is also a fan of Doucette and likes her coaching style.
“She’s behind us,” Holton said. “She’s always backing us up, whether it’s against refs, or anyone else, parents, she’s always there for us.”
Airtight bond
Holton and her teammates get plenty of minutes because there are only seven players on the roster . They have overcome a lot of adversity.
“We had a lot of girls quit,” Holton said. “We had to adapt to each others playing ways. A lot of players had to step up scoring-wise, defense-wise.”
The small roster has created an airtight bond on the team.
Said Doucette: “We thoroughly enjoy being around each other.”
The Golden Rams forte is locking down their opponent. Anoka-Ramsey is relentless and tough to score on.
“We defend,” Doucette said. “We hold teams to 44 points a game on the average, which is pretty impressive. If you can defend every game, you’re in every game.”
“We are very defensive,” Holton said. “I think that’s what makes us different from a lot of teams. We’re focused on shutting you down. We’re not focused on outscoring you.”
The Golden Rams have been to a total 18 national tournaments in the history of the program.
