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Seven Trappers Reach Double Digits During Weekend Games
These weren’t just any victories for Northwest College; these were equal opportunity victories.
Using double-digit scoring efforts from seven players, the NWC men’s basketball team secured its first home wins of the season on Friday and Saturday at NWC’s Cabre Gym in Powell.
Having started the season with a 4-1 road trip, the Trapper men were riding a wave of momentum heading into the First Bank of Wyoming Shootout on their home court. That momentum never stalled as NWC hosted Bismarck for its home opener Friday, and never trailed en route to a 96-71 win.
The Trappers (6-1 overall) were paced by sophomore William Desilien’s 22 points, while Christopher Boucher drained 17 to go with 10 rebounds and five blocks. Daryle Morgan added 13 points and Colin May dropped 10 to fuel the NWC effort.
“Everybody can score ... everybody,” Boucher said after the Bismarck win. “Nobody worries about being on the bench for a little bit during a game because we all know that someone else is going to go out on the court and keep things going.”
That became apparent for the Trappers with the game close early in the second half. NWC led just 41-34 by halftime, and 48-39 with 17:05 to go. But Morgan sank a layup, May knocked down a 3-pointer, Boucher hit a free throw and Desilien followed a layup with a trey of his own to finish out an 11-0 rally that made it a 59-39 ballgame and all but finished off the Mystics.
After Taylor Shamo made good on two free throws, NWC’s lead ballooned to 88-58 late in the second half.
NWC coach Brian Erickson was especially happy with his team’s defensive effort. While the Trapper offense had been scoring at an electric rate, Erickson was hoping to see more of a lockdown effort from his players, and they responded after a week of defense-focused practices.
“The guys are going to practice those defensive drills until they love them,” Erickson said on Friday. “And after tonight’s win, I can see that those practices paid off a little bit. We still need to get better, but there were some improvements.”
Thirteen players found the basket for NWC, and Desilien reiterated that each Trapper has an ability to make an impact.
“Everybody had a part in this game, even the reserves came out and played well, they played hard,” Desilien said on Friday. “Now I can go relax ... we got this first home win in front of our fans. I can go back to my dorm and watch Pokemon or something and just relax until tomorrow’s game.”
Desilien was given an extra day of rest in an 89-73 triumph over Dawson on Saturday, as the sophomore is battling sore knees in the season’s early going. In his place, Ammar Rehman was given the starting nod along with sophomore EJ Hubbard.
Hubbard made his presence felt early against the Buccaneers, scoring a layup early to make it a 7-2 NWC lead, and a 3-pointer seconds later to make it 10-4. Rehman’s triple from the top of the key kept the early momentum in NWC’s favor, and Hubbard soon followed two free throws with a triple on May’s assist for a 20-9 cushion before the midway mark of the first half.
Hubbard took an assist from Dan Milota and turned it into another 3-pointer for the Trappers’ biggest lead of the first half, 46- 31, finishing with 15 points before the break as NWC led 50-36.
“When guys are out, you have to step up ... that’s how we all feel on this team,” Hubbard said. “Yesterday [Daryle Morgan] set the tone early ... tonight me and Ammar got things going. Tomorrow it might be Chris again or Colin. But that’s how we do things here, everyone picks each other up.”
Dawson attempted to make a run late in the second half, turning NWC’s 68-46 edge into a 72-62 margin with a 16-4 move. Dawson’s Evan Jones and Travon Horton paced the run with with eight and five points, respectively, but NWC responded with a run of its own to end the threat.
Boucher dunked off an alleyoop to end Dawson’s run before Morgan was fouled on a layup and converted the ensuing free throw. Milota then drained a layup and Boucher added two free throws followed by a Morgan layup and a deep 2-pointer from Milota. NWC used the 13-0 push to rebuild its lead to 85-62 and hold on for the victory.
“When I was on the bench, I’m just watching all of the guys on the court and they’re just comfortable and happy to be out there contributing,” said Boucher, who was benched early after picking up two quick fouls and played just 24 minutes. “It makes us guys on the bench feel good knowing that whoever is on the court is going to work hard and do their best to score or help the team in other ways,” he said.
The Trappers saw five players score 14 or more against the Buccaneers, as Hubbard (17), Boucher (17), Rehman (16), Morgan (15) and Milota (14) all reached double figures. Boucher added 12 rebounds and five blocks, and Milota and May each dished out five assists.
NWC returns to action today (Tuesday) when it hosts Rocky Mountain College’s junior varsity at 7:30 p.m. at Cabre Gym.