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Region IX Play Begins With Games Jan. 8 And Jan. 11
Northwest College’s Lady Trappers are back on the court to start post-holiday play in a return game against Williston State College at noon Sunday, Jan. 5 at Cabre Gym.
The Northwest women handled Williston 61-49 in the opening game of the year in North Dakota.
Second year Coach Cam Levett is pleased with his team’s 8-7 first half. The eight in the win column is already double the total posted a year ago in a 4-26 campaign.
That’s not the only reason he’s upbeat with the Lady Trappers’ start.
“I like where we’re at with an 8-7 record,” he said. “I’m also happy that all that traveling is done.”
“Looking back, our schedule has been pretty difficult,” he pointed out.
NWC traveled all day and then played a pair of games in Colorado Springs early in the season and then again to Bismarck, North Dakota, for back to back games to close the pre-Christmas schedule.
“We were lucky to get a split on both of those trips,” Levett said.
After the final nonconference game of the year on Sunday against Williston, Northwest settles into a weekly rhythm of Wednesday and Saturday Region IX games. Region IX play begins with home contests on Jan. 8 and Jan. 11 against Laramie County Community College and Western Wyoming Community College.
After 15 games, two Lady Trappers sport scoring averages in double figures. Freshman Samiyah Worrell of Fountain, Colorado, leads the way at 13.5 points per game, and freshman Adela Smutna from the Czech Republic is scoring 11.4 points per game.
Worrell is the leading 3-point shooter, hitting on 33 of 93 attempts for 35 percent. She is a 74 percent shooter from the free throw line and leads the team in assists with 42 and steals with 43.
Smutna is the top free throw shooter (39 of 47 for 83 percent) and second on the team in rebounding with 78 and tied for the team lead with 10 blocked shots.
“ Those are two freshmen. One is a long way from home, and the other is just getting used to the college game,” Levett said. “They’ve played well, but there’s room for improvement from both of them.”
The other top five scorers are Tess Henry at 7.4 points per game; Raquel Turner, 6.9 points per game; and Lily Henry 6.1 points per game. Sisters Tess and Lily Henry are sophomores.
“I’m really looking for someone [of those three] to step up and be a better scorer for us,” Levett added. “We’re getting open looks. We’re just not hitting the shots.”
As a team, the Lady Trappers are shooting only 34 percent from the field and 29 percent from beyond the 3-point arc.
Levett said freshman Riley Aiono from Bountiful, Utah, “has shown flashes of what she’s capable of.” In a reserve role, she’s averaged five points per game and is third on the team in rebounding with 70, including 41 offensive rebounds. She is also a co-leader in blocked shots with 10.
Lily Henry is the Lady Trappers’ leading rebounder, with 91 boards.