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Trappers Will Compete In Four Games On The Road Over The Next Six Days
Overcoming injuries to a couple of key players, the Northwest College men’s basketball team reeled off three straight wins over the last week.
At the Lions Club Tournament in Sheridan, the Trappers beat Dakota College at Bottineau 81-68 on Friday and defeated Williston State College 63-57 on Saturday; the NWC men followed that up with a 90-74 win over the Rocky Mountain College JV on Tuesday.
Against Dakota College, the Trappers got out to a 45-35 halftime lead against the Lumberjacks’ zone defense; Dakota State would switch to a man-to-man defense in the second half, but NWC continued to have success.
“I think the difference of that game is that we finally started knocking some shots down from outside,” said Brian Erickson, head coach.
Skyler Zabriskie made 4-of- 7 tries from 3-point range in the game while Luc Lombardy went 4-for-4 beyond the arc in the first half.
“It kind of gave us a spark,” said Erickson.
With that spark, the Trappers kept their lead — despite Dakota State closing in at times.
“We had way too many turnovers,” Erickson said, noting that the Trappers had 28 to Dakota State’s 25.
“It was a good win coming off of Thanksgiving — kind of — break,” Erickson continued. “We had a day off and let everyone enjoy themselves with host parents or their families.”
Blake Hinze led with 16 points, followed by Zabriskie with 15, Lombardy with 12 and Sukhjot Bains and Levi Londole with 10 each.
Zabriskie, Sukhjot Bains and Levi Londole each had a team-best six rebounds, with Marshall McArthur and Damon Leach following close behind with five apiece.
Morgan Devonte led with five assists.
As a team, the Trappers shot 73.1 percent from the free throw line, 40 percent on 3-pointers and 43.3 percent from the floor.
Dakota State shot 52 percent from the free throw line, 42.9 percent from the 3-point line and 37.7 percent overall.
“Pretty excited about that game,” said Erickson.
Jonathan Koud was out with an injury for Friday’s and Saturday’s games, while Bains suffered an injury during the Dakota State game that put him out for Saturday and Tuesday’s games.
Without leading scorers Koud and Bains — each averaging 15 points a game — the Trappers were outmanned for Saturday’s match-up with Williston State College. Before the game, Erickson asked the team who would step up.
In the first half, the Trappers fell behind 31-27. They struggled on their 3-point shots and didn’t attack the basketball, the coach said.
“First half, we stayed in it, we did some good things, but just settled for too many outside shots,” Erickson said.
However, with about 15 minutes left in the game, the Trappers started attacking the basket, drawing fouls and making free throws.
Northwest still trailed by about seven points with seven minutes remaining, but they closed out the game on a 23-10 run to take the win.
“I think we learned a lot about our offense,” said Erickson. “We really grew in that game; I think something clicked with our offense.”
The NWC defense also had a strong showing, holding Williston — who’d been averaging 90-some points a game — to only 57.
“Without our two leading scorers, our guys found a way to get it done,” said Erickson. “It was pretty great to watch, they deserve it.”
Zabriskie was high scorer with 16 points. Lombardy was next with 12. Leach led with 11 rebounds.
Each member of the team had at least one assist.
Northwest shot a 58.3 percent from the free throw line, 37 percent from the 3-point line and 35.4 percent from the floor; Williston shot 64.7 percent on free throws, 22.2 percent on 3-point shots and 35 percent overall.
Both teams had 14 turnovers.
On Tuesday, the NWC men’s basketball team beat the Rocky Mountain College JV at home, 90-74.
The Trappers took a 4-2 lead just a couple minutes into the game and never let it go.
“I thought we had some good moments and some bad moments,” said Erickson.
Everyone who was suited up got to play in the game.
“The last seven/eight minutes, some guys who haven’t gotten to play a lot, got in there,” said Erickson. “They just turned it over too much, didn’t do enough on defense that it became a closer game than it probably should have been.”
The men’s basketball team is a young team, having only two or three guys with any real experience playing at the college level.
“I think the biggest thing is good experience for those guys to get in there — to get in there and be able to watch it and see where they can improve,” Erickson said.
At halftime — with the Trappers up 45-35 — the coach said he told his team to push its lead further to get the less experienced guys even more playing time.
Four players reached double figures in points. Hinze led with 16, followed by Koud’s 15. Lombardy and Londole each scored 14 points, each hitting four 3-pointers, too.
In the end, 13 out of the 14 Trappers who got into the game put points on the board.
The team had a total of 14 assists with Hinze and Koud leading with three each.
Koud led with six rebounds, followed by Londole’s five and Carter Baxter’s four. Koud also led in steals, collecting six of the team’s 16.
Northwest shot 71.4 percent from the free throw line, 57.9 percent on 3-point shots and 50 percent from the floor. Rocky Mountain went 73.1 percent on the free throw line, 53.8 percent on 3-point shots and 52.2 percent overall.
Northwest had 24 turnovers and Rocky Mountain 26.
“It was a good team effort,” said Erickson. “Good to see everyone play.
He called the game something to build on, giving everyone a chance to work on the motions and to try new things in a game situation.
The NWC men’s basketball team heads to Rock Springs this week to play in the Western Wyoming Classic. They’ll face Rexburg United at 5 p.m. Friday and play Eastern Wyoming College at 2 p.m. Saturday.
On Tuesday the Trappers travel to Glendive, Montana, to play Dawson Community College at 7:30 p.m. — then turn around to play Yellowstone Christian College in Billings, Montana, at 7 p.m. Wednesday.