Pedal to the metal and full speed ahead.
Call junior guard Riley Doggett a firm believer in the up-tempo style employed by Aurora University coach Ryan Rebsom.
Considering the obstacles she dealt with in a roller coaster four-year varsity career at Oswego East, Doggett probably deserves the ride in the Spartans’ fast lane that she’s enjoying in college.
“Our ball movement is the best part of our game,” said Doggett, who came off the bench in every game as a freshman and has started since the beginning of her sophomore year. “The way we trust each other, the way we share it.
“If there’s an open shot, we’re yelling at each other if we don’t shoot it. We want everybody to get their shots up, everybody to play their game and nobody shy away. Everybody has the green light.”
Ready, set, go.
Doggett nearly doubled her 8.1-point scoring average Wednesday night with 15 as the host Spartans rolled to a 94-59 Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference win over Dominican.
Sophomore guard Krystyna Manzanarez, the reigning NACC and region freshman of the year, scored 22 points to lead AU (16-3, 10-2), which jumped out with a 34-point first quarter.
Senior forward Kylie Fischbach matched Doggett’s 15 points and senior guard Jennifer Heinberg added 12 for the Spartans. Junior guard Lia Saunders, a Hampshire graduate, had 19 points to pace Dominican (8-10, 3-8).
It’s been a fun ride at AU for Doggett, though. Her sophomore season at Oswego East was reduced to 13 games during the pandemic and her senior season was wiped out by a torn ACL in her left knee.
“We take a lot of pride in playing fast,” Rebsom said. “We’re top five in the nation in steals, top five in the nation in scoring out of 432 Division III teams. Our biggest focus to do that is to create more possessions, so we play a ton of full-court pressure and we recruit shooters.”
The Spartans made 16 of 32 shots from beyond the 3-point line and outscored Dominican 21-0 on fast-break points.
“We’ve made 19 3-pointers in a game twice this year, 18 once and 16 twice,” Rebsom said. “My biggest thing is, if you go 0-for-10, I want to see you go 0-for-20. They know they have a green light.
“That’s how we play, and it’s fun. When we get cooking like that first quarter, we’re pretty good.”
With seven conference games remaining, AU is in third place in the 14-team league. The top eight make the conference playoffs, with the better seeds hosting throughout and the winner qualifying for the NCAA Tournament.
“My first year we got to the semifinals, which was the first time in like 15 years, so that was a huge step,” Doggett said. “We lost in the first round last year, but this year we’re taking it all the way.
“I feel confident. It’s a fantastic team and I love the energy. There’s nothing bad I can say about this team.”
Rebsom would like to land more players like Doggett.
“A lot of kids want to leave the area, but we’re getting better traction with that with some success,” he said. “I was there recruiting her when she hurt her knee. You’d never guess in a thousand years she went through an ACL.
“Our strength and conditioning program is good, but she takes it to another level. She guards the other team’s best player unless it’s their primary ball-handler. She’s such a good athlete and defender.”
Doggett confirmed the mental battles in her 11-month recovery were just as difficult as the physical comeback.
“It was the end of my world for a whole year,” Doggett said. “Going through it was tough because we had a really good team that year. Sitting on the sideline with the coaches and getting their perspective was a silver lining, learning a new perspective of basketball.
“The best part was coach Rebsom. He was super supportive and helped me through it all. From day one, he’s been the most supportive and I’m truly grateful for that.”
