Your future, our focus
Luc Lombardy’s 30 points could not extend his Northwest College career by a game.
While the 6-foot-6 sophomore from France was nailing seven 3-pointers, the Trappers’ could not hit one last long-distance shot to produce an overtime.
Instead, Central Wyoming edged Northwest 78-75 Saturday to advance in the Region IX playoffs.
The Trappers finished 14-17, and with three losses to Central this season.
“I can’t tell you what it feels like after this,” Lombardy said of the conclusion of his two-year hoops career in Wyoming. “I’ve got so much emotion.”
The Trappers started fast, leading by 15 points in the first half and by 10 at halftime.
“We played really, really well in the first half,” coach Brian Erickson said. “Our defense, we had breakdown, breakdown, breakdown.”
Mistakes mounted in the second half, Lombardy said.
“We played like 25 minutes,” he said.
Lombardy and Blake Hinze, the former All-State guard from Cody, played the most amongst sophomores on a freshman-dominated team. But Erickson is sure several would-be sophomores who did not buy into his system are unlikely to return.
Erickson feels much of his recruiting for next year is complete and new players will complement some key returners. Such players, he expects, will reflect “the culture we need” and “to show other guys how to do it.”
Lombardy hit 10-of-15 from the field and 3-of-4 from the foul line for his career-best point total.
“He played really well,” Erickson said.
Calvin Fugett Jr., 13 points, and Umar Jalloh, 12 points and 11 rebounds, were the other most effective Trappers. Reme Torbert (4-for-15 for nine points) and Hinze, five points, had off-nights from outside.
Still Northwest had a chance to tie as the seconds clicked off.
Fugett made an apparent steal that could have led to an uncontested lay-up, but was flagged for a foul that Erickson thought was a questionable call.
The Rustlers, 20-11, made one free throw for the three-point lead. Northwest had possession with eight seconds left.
“We run a play, a play we practice all year,” Erickson said.
The ball went to Jalloh, who found Hinze open in the corner. But the shot bounced away.
The junior college careers of Lombardy, Hinze and guard Jace Johnson officially bounced away as well.
“I want to keep playing, but we can’t,” Lombardy said.