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Big Home Date With Casper Next
The Northwest College men’s basketball team stormed to an 80-57 win at Little Big Horn College on Saturday as the Trappers returned to the hardwood. The victory lifts the team to a 15-2 mark this season, including a perfect 3-0 performance in Region IX North games so far.
“It was our first game back and it showed,” said Trapper head coach Andy Ward. “There was a lot of sloppy play. We turned the ball over more than 20 times and we didn’t shoot the ball well for much of the second half.”
Despite that, the Trappers were never in any serious danger. Northwest raced to a 47-27 halftime lead before playing the final 20 minutes on relatively even terms.
“The turnovers concern me because we weren’t seeing a lot of pressure,” Ward said. “They zoned us some and we just didn’t handle the ball like we need to after being off for almost a month.”
While Northwest’s ball handling may have been sloppy in the contest, the Trappers’ rebounding hardly looked like it had seen a layoff. Northwest owned both the offensive and defensive glass at LBHC, finishing the night with a 62-23 dominance in the category.
Jeffrey Solarin hauled down 11 of those boards, which combined with his 24 points in the contest allowed him to begin 2012 with a double-double and pace the Trappers in both stat categories. Guilherme Carabagiale nearly added another double- double, finishing with eight points and 10 rebounds.
Chris Hansen was the only other Trapper to score in double figures, finishing with 10 points.
“It was a good game because we got to play a lot of guys a lot of minutes,” said Ward. “I don’t think we had anyone play less than 10 minutes and I don’t think anyone played more than 20 in the game.”
That experience, the Trappers’ coach noted, could pay dividends down the road.
“You never know how deep into your bench you’re going to need to go,” Ward said. “It’s always nice to build experience when you’re able.”
The Trappers return to action on Saturday against Casper College. The game will tip off at approximately 5 p.m.
NORTHWEST 80, LITTLE BIG HORN 57
Zach Stanley 9, Jeffrey Solarin 24, Konner Frey 8, Diego Pasos 9, Guilherme Carabagiale 8, Italo de Olveria 2, Pietro de Andrade 2, Chris Hansen 10, Jonathan Wakelin 2, Hudson Filho 6.