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Road Loss At Central Wyoming, at Home To Casper College
With the regular season in its final week, the Northwest College men’s basketball team is looking to salvage what’s left after a pair of losses to Region IX North foes last week.
On the road at Central Wyoming College on Feb. 13, the Rustlers exacted a measure of revenge on the Trappers from a loss last month, winning the rematch 92-75.
NWC followed that with a home contest against the No. 10 team in the country on Saturday, with Casper College making short work of the Trappers, 112- 72.
The two losses dropped the Trappers to seventh in the North, with home games against Sheridan and Western Wyoming this week to close out the regular season. NWC head coach Dawud Abdur-Rahkman said he’s hoping to have a healthy roster of players for Saturday’s game.
“That will be a big day for us in a lot of respects,” he said. “It’s the last day of the regular season, and it’s Sophomore Night. And the Army National Guard is sponsoring the event, so it’s going to be pretty special. And hopefully we can cap it off with a win.”
CENTRAL WYOMING 92, TRAPPERS 75
Despite having the game’s leading scorer and with three players in double digits, the Trappers couldn’t find an answer against Central Wyoming, falling to the Rustlers 92-75.
The Trappers were without guard Kyle Brown and 7-footer Axel Okongo due to injuries, and Reme Torbert was still recovering from the flu.
“That was just a tough night for us,” Abdur-Rahkman said. “Central Wyoming has gotten better. I’m not sure how much better, because we’re down some impact players.”
The coach thought the Trappers’ forward “played very well,” but the Rustlers’ guards “just played better than we did, and we couldn’t match them.”
Central shot a gaudy 62 percent from the floor en route to a 51-39 halftime lead, compared to 51 percent from the Trappers. Northwest kept it closer in the second half but couldn’t make up the difference.
“We just couldn’t generate anything offensively,” Abdur-Rahkman said. “We played good defense — I think we held their best player to seven points. We just didn’t have any offense.”
Lagio Grantsaan had the hot hand for the Trappers, scoring 26 points and grabbing six boards in a losing effort. Darius Webster and Brian Howell netted 17 points apiece, while Calvin Fugett finished with eight.
The Trappers finished at 50.9 percent (28-for-55) from the floor, compared to 60 percent (35-of-58) by Central. The Rustlers won the battle of the boards 36-26.
“I think we were going pretty good, then it kind of just fell apart on us,” Abdur-Rahkman said. “Now we just have to try and put it back together.”
CASPER 112, TRAPPERS 72
The Trappers found out quick why the T-Birds are one of the top teams in the nation Saturday, scoring early and often en route to a 112-72 win.
“They don’t put that No. 10 ranking in front of your name for nothing,” Abdur-Rahkman said, adding, “That’s just a good team, man.”
Northwest kept it close until midway through the first half, when Casper went on a 20-4 run to blow the game open. The T-birds held a 21-point lead at the half, 52-31.
Casper continued to add to its lead in the second half, shooting 61 percent from the floor and going a perfect 11-for-11 at the charity stripe.
“That game exposed a lot of our weaknesses, and one constant with high-level teams is energy and effort,” Abdur-Rahkman said. “I tell young guys I coach all the time that the difference between teams that excel and those that don’t is how hard guys play. How hard you play, how much effort you put in, that separates people. Casper was a separator, and we could never catch up.”
The Trappers were still missing Brown and Okongo from the lineup, and freshman Brian Howell was also unavailable. Abdur-Rahkman used the opportunity to get some of his bench players significant court time, and was pleased with the results.
“At full strength, we certainly could have given them a better game,” Abdur-Rahkman said. “But you have to rely on what’s available to you, and it’s tough when your options are limited. But I felt good about getting guys in there who don’t play a lot and get them some meaningful minutes.”
The game was not without its bright spots, with five Trappers finishing in double figures. Grantsaan again led the charge, finishing with 20 points and grabbing eight rebounds. Fugett followed with 14 points, while Webster chipped in 11.
Torbert and Jason Feliz netted 10 points apiece, with Torbert finishing with a team-high four assists.
NWC shot just 32 percent from the floor (22-of-68), while Sheridan countered with a 41-of-67 performance (61 percent).
Despite the lopsided loss, Abdur-Rahkman said he was also encouraged by how the team conducted themselves, before, during and after the game.
“It’s not always about scoring, it’s not always about winning, it’s about how you conduct yourself,” he said. “We didn’t surrender, and we didn’t quit. I thought that was important.”