Your future, our focus
Coach Reminds Players To Step Up Defense And ‘They Responded’
It all seemed to be going well, but coach Brian Erickson wasn’t satisfied.
The Northwest College men’s basketball team had a 21-point lead early in the second half and had been in complete control of the game from tipoff. But with 16:45 to play Friday night at Cabre Gym on the NWC campus, Erickson signaled for a time out and gathered his players around him. His voice was clear even in the stands.
“It came down to the defensive end,” Erickson said after the game. “We were not getting after it like we should. That’s what I told them at halftime and in the first three minutes it wasn’t happening.”
The Trappers led the Utah All- Stars, a club team of older players, by 21 points when Erickson gave his players a reminder of what he expected.
“They responded,” he said.
Indeed they did. The defensive intensity was clearly better. Sophomore William Desilien almost immediately made a steal and drove for an uncontested layup. NWC went on a 21-6 run to put the game away, winning 117-84.
“It doesn’t matter who you play,” Erickson said in his office as he checked on the Lady Trappers volleyball match at the national tourney. “That team’s going to come out there and get after you.”
You can’t afford to overlook any team, he said, and that’s what he had to remind his players.
The Trappers held a 40-point edge at one point but Erickson cleared the bench, giving 14 players court time, and the All-Stars, who specialized in 3-pointers, hit several in the closing minutes. By that point, the NWC bench was cheering as reserves scored.
Ammar Rehman paced the Trappers with 21 points, hitting 7-of-9 shots, several coming on twisting drives to the hoop. He added a pair of 3-pointers in three shots from long distance and hit 5-of-6 free throws in an impressive display of his skills.
The 6-5 freshman from Los Angeles is a “big-time talent on the offensive end,” his coach said. But like his teammates, he needs to focus on the other side of the game, Erickson added.
“Got to get better intensity on team defense,” he said.
Rehman admitted the game was difficult to concentrate on, since the All-Stars only had eight players, some were not in prime condition, and the Trappers leaped to such a big lead from the start.
“It’s very hard to stay focused,” Rehman said. “When you see their physiques ... but they can still shoot. It took some time; we had to press a little bit more.”
Quebec, Canada, native Desilien, who had 18 points, six assists and seven rebounds, said the team hoped for a 40-point win, maybe even a 50- or 60-point margin. But he said the players enjoyed seeing Erickson clear the bench and let everyone have a few minutes; 12 Trappers scored and the starters and top reserves led the cheers as their teammates took shots and, in some cases, scored.
“That’s just how we are,” Desilien said. “We’re a big family. And it gives them a bit of confidence. They might have to play if we get into foul trouble in games.”
Such was the case with Chris Boucher, who played limited minutes due to foul trouble and the blowout. Boucher picked up two quick fouls in the first half but Erickson left him on the court, since he will have to get used to playing with fouls, the coach said.
Boucher, a sophomore also from Quebec, Canada, got his third foul before the break and sat out the first 4:19 of the second half. He played just 14:22 minutes but still scored 14 points, grabbed five rebounds and blocked two shots.
Tyler Chandler, a redshirt sophomore from Evanston, was perfect from the field, hitting all five shots he took, including three 3 pointers, and scored 13 points.
Freshman Dan Milota added 12 points and sophomore EJ Hubbard had 11. Colin May, a redshirt sophomore guard from Lovell, paced NMC with eight boards.
Utah’s five starters all scored in double figures, as Clayton Osborne, Austin Christensen and Brandon Hansen all had 16 points. Spencer Trask added 15 and Nick Meza notched 14. Christensen led the way on the glass with 10 rebounds.
NWC shot 45-for-85 from the field, hitting shots at 53 percent, including a blistering 14 from 26 from beyond the stripe, a 54 percent showing. The Trappers were also 13-14 from the line, 93 percent.
Utah shot 41 percent from the field, 28-of- 69, and hit 13 of the 36 3-pointers it attempted. It hit 15-of-24 from the charity stripe.
NWC is now 8-1 on the season and plays Dawson Community College at 8 p.m. Friday in the Dawson Community College Tournament in Glendive, Mont. They take on Williston State College in the tourney at 1 p.m. Saturday.