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It has not been easy, but the Northwest College men’s basketball team continued its unbeaten start to Region IX North play — moving to 4-0 after defeating Laramie County Community College 80-73 and Central Wyoming College 87-82.
NORTHWEST 80, LCCC 73Playing at home on Feb. 1, the Trappers (17-7 overall, 4-0 Region IX North) welcomed in the Golden Eagles (13-8 overall, 3-1 Region IX North) for a key early Region IX matchup.
Northwest started out fast in the first minute with a 5-0 lead, before the two teams started to battle back and forth.
Midway through the half the Trappers continued to cling onto a one point lead up 21-20, unable to find a way to break away from the Golden Eagles.
A small 4-0 run separated the two teams at half, with Northwest leading 38-34 at the break.
“They have terrific size, length and athleticism,” coach Andy Ward said. “I thought we exhibited some patience, got aggressive against their zone, found some gaps and penetrated it.”
The Golden Eagles exploded out of the locker room, scoring seven straight to take a 41-38 lead.
Again, neither team could find separation with the two teams remaining within one possession for nearly the entire second half.
Northwest extended the lead to six on a Yannice Nlend layup with 2:01 left, and the Trappers were able to see out the contest with an 80-73 victory.
The Trappers held the Golden Eagles to 5-27 (18.5%) from 3-point range, and outrebounded them 38-34 in the contest.
“They had some shots they missed that maybe some other nights they make them,” Ward said. “Fortunately for us they made five of them … A lot of missed opportunities for both teams so there were a lot of rebounds to get and I thought we did a good job rebounding the ball defensively.”
Davion McAdam continued his strong start to the conference season, scoring 31 points ahead of Nlend with 19 points and nine rebounds as the two double digit scorers.
NORTHWEST 87, CENTRAL WYOMING 82Continuing action at home on Saturday, the Trappers welcomed the Central Wyoming Rustlers (14-9 overall, 1-3 Region IX North) to Cabre Gym.
Again the Trappers came out of the gate strong, building a 10-2 lead over the first 3:30 minutes.
The Rustlers responded with a 14-1 run over the next three minutes to build a five point lead of their own.
Both teams battled, until Northwest got out in transition and went on a 16-2 run over a four minute span late in the half to build a 12 point advantage.
“They keep coming at you and press you the whole game,” Ward said. “They play at a fast pace. I thought we did a great job in the first half.”
The lead grew to as many as 15, but the Trappers took a 51-39 advantage into the locker room.
David Ayala came out strong for the Trappers, scoring 17 of his 18 points in the half on 5-5 shooting from 3-point range.
Overall for the first half Northwest was 10-13 (76.9%) from 3-point range to help build the lead.
Northwest came out flat to start the second half, with Central going on a 10-1 run and then reclaiming the lead 56-54 seven minutes into the half.
“To their credit they came out and got after it and it became a tight ball game throughout,” Ward said.
The Rustlers built the lead out to as many as four, but foul trouble allowed the Trappers to get free throw opportunities and they retook the lead for good 69-68 with 5:16 remaining on a pair of McAdam free throws.
Northwest saw out the game late with free throws, and finished with an 87-82 victory.
“We had opportunities at the basket that we have to come away with,” Ward said. “We missed multiple layup opportunities … We shot really well from 3-point range. As well as we shot in the first half we shot 0-3 in the second half.”
Overall the game had 10 ties and six lead changes, with the difference coming at the stripe as the Trappers finished 17-28 (60.7%) from the free throw line and Central Wyoming finished 8-12 (66.7%).
McAdam led the team with 25 points, Ayala had 18, Juan Pablo Camargo had 17 and Nlend had a 10 point, 11 rebound double-double with five assists.
SCHEDULE CHANGENorthwest was scheduled to make up a game at home against Western Wyoming (14-10 overall, 1-3 Region IX North) on Feb. 8, but it has since been rescheduled again to Monday, Feb. 27, at 7:30 p.m.
The Trappers will now head on the road for their next game, visiting Casper on Saturday to take on the Thunderbirds (18-5 overall, 3-1 Region IX North) at 4 p.m.
Northwest defeated Casper College at home 93-83 in overtime on Jan. 21 but had the win overshadowed by a scuffle that saw a Casper College assistant coach fired and the Thunderbirds’ leading scorer suspended by the NJCAA for the remainder of the season.
“We have to have a short memory and move past that game,” Ward said. “It’s going to be emotional because of what transpired, but I talk to our guys all the time about sportsmanship and having a good image for the college.”
He said he wants the team to continue playing as hard as they can and continue focusing on what they need to do for that particular game.
NORTHWEST 80, LCCC 73Total rebounds then offensive rebounds in ()Points — Davion McAdam 31, Yannice Nlend 19, Juan Pablo Camargo 8, Will Hemme 7, Mack Page 4, Andre Loigu 3, David Ayala 3, Christian Adun 3, Kolter Merritt 2Rebounds — Yannice Nlend 9, David Ayala 7 (1), Will Hemme 5 (1), Davion McAdam 4, Juan Pablo Camargo 4 (2), Christian Adun 4, Kolter Merritt 3, Mack Page 2 (2)Assists — Yannice Nlend 4, Will Hemme 3, Davion McAdam 1, Mack Page 1, Christian Adun 1Steals — David Ayala 3, Davion McAdam 1, Yannice Nlend 1, Christian Adun 1Blocks — Juan Pablo Camargo Tellez 2, Mack Page 2, Christian Adun 2
NORTHWEST 87, CENTRAL WYOMING 82Points — Davion McAdam 25, David Ayala 18, Juan Pablo Camargo 17, Yannice Nlend 10, Brash Emery 9, Will Hemme 4, Mack Page 4Rebounds — Yannice Nlend 11 (2), David Ayala 5 (2), Davion McAdam 4 (1), Kolter Merritt 3, Juan Pablo Camargo 2, Christian Adun 2 (1), Andre Loigu 1, Brash Emery 1, Mack Page 1Assists — Yannice Nlend 5, Will Hemme 4, Davion McAdam 2, Juan Pablo Camargo 1, Christian Adun 1, Kolter Merritt 1Steals — Davion McAdam 3, Kolter Merritt 3, Andre Loigu 1, David Ayala 1, Juan Pablo Camargo 1, Will Hemme 1, Brash Emery 1, Christian Adun 1Blocks — David Ayala 2, Kolter Merritt 1