Your future, our focus
Ranprett Badyal was a 3-year-old toddler growing up in Calgary when an uncle nicknamed him “Rambo.”
Flash forward 18 years and not only is the 6-foot-2 Northwest College men’s basketball guard still attached to the name, but his long-range jump shots demonstrate a different manner to stick it to foes than Sylvestor Stallone ever used.
Last Saturday, Badyal hit 16 points off the bench in under 17 minutes of playing time as the Trappers handled the Game Gear All-Stars 91-76 at Cabre Gym.
The victory completed a three-win home sweep for the week, including triumphs over the Rocky Mountain JV, 109-65, and Bismarck State, 104-84, that encompassed the Big Horn Federal Shootout.
High man for Northwest against Game Gear was Josh Petteno with 34 points.
Kyle Brown was the leading scorer with 22 points versus Rocky, with Petteno scoring 16 and Eric Jackson 15.
Brown also led with 23 points against Bismarck, a day the Trappers put four players in double figures.
That leaves Northwest with a 3-3 record after going 0-3 opening week. Coach Jay Collins said he changed some strategies for his young team and the players adapted well.
“We had a lot to work on,” Collins said.
While his original goal was for the Trappers to full-court press 100 percent of the time, Collins has slightly retrenched from that approach, but not by much.
Northwest did play strong defense against Game Gear.
“We want to be pests,” he said. “We made them miss more than they missed (themselves).”
Except for one late run, Game Gear trailed by large amounts most of the contest, the spread climbing to 29 points twice.
Hitting 13 three-point jumpers boosted the Trappers. Petteno made seven.
Sophomore Max Dehon, a 6-5 forward from Belgium, is one of the few players still around from last year’s 10-21 squad.
During his short stay in Powell, Dehon has experience with three head coaches. Initially recruited by Brian Erickson, who became athletic director, then watching as a redshirt under interim coach Dawud Abdur-Rahkman, and now playing for Collins.
So far he has been providing a rebounding spark off the bench.
“Last year, we were bigger,” Dehon said. “We have to play quicker. My role is to bring energy. Getting the wins, it’s good. You don’t lose at home, and we didn’t.”