Your future, our focus
Trappers 11-2 After Weekend Wins
Both the Northwest College men’s basketball team and sophomore Chris Boucher needed bounce-back weekends.
Done and done.
Behind two 20-plus-point outings from Boucher, NWC recovered from a tough loss on Nov. 29 with back-to-back victories over Snow College on Friday and Impact Academy on Saturday at the Western Wyoming Community College Tournament in Rock Springs.
“Coming off our loss (to Williston State College) last week, I felt like our guys really responded over the weekend,” NWC coach Brian Erickson said Sunday. “The focus in practice all week was guarding against penetration and on the perimeter, and I think we did a pretty good job.”
And while he was fine-tuning his defense, Boucher apparently regained his offensive prowess as well. After totaling 24 points in the Trappers’ previous two games, Boucher eclipsed that mark with 28 during a 99-81 win over Snow.
The Alberta, Canada, native shot 60 percent from the floor (9-of-15), including three 3-pointers, and also pulled down 10 rebounds.
Foul trouble had contributed to Boucher’s slight dip over the past couple of games, and Erickson said keeping Boucher on the court allowed him to be effective.
“Chris was frustrated with the weekend before, but he recovered this weekend and showed why he’s a great player,” Erickson said. “He worked hard all week in practice and really took things to heart. He did a great job for us.”
Against Snow, NWC (11-2) also received double-digit scoring efforts from Colin May (18), Nicky Desilien (14), Dan Milota (12) and Daryle Morgan (10). Desilien also handed out six assists.
Boucher played just over 15 minutes of the Trappers’ 91-55 victory over Impact Academy, and went foul-free with 21 points. NWC led 43-20 by halftime, allowing several of the Trappers’ reserves to see extended action. One of those bench players, Jordon Rood, finished behind Boucher with 10 points.
Erickson said that unselfish basketball helped propel his team to victory over the weekend, reflected specifically in NWC’s 3 point column. In their loss to Williston, NWC shot 29 3-pointers, but limited that to just 16 attempts against Snow and 22 against Impact.
“We did a lot better job of making that extra pass,” Erickson said. “We didn’t settle outside the arch, we found the open man near the basket and created opportunities.”
The Trappers will interrupt its road swing with a 7:30 p.m. home game Thursday against Dawson Community College at Cabre Gym. NWC is 3-0 against Dawson this season.
“One more game against Dawson ... I hope our guys really focus on that game and make improvements,” Erickson added. “We want to finish out the last of 2014 with a win and be ready to come back from Christmas break ready to play. It only gets tougher from here.”