Your future, our focus
Rounding up a long road trip, the Northwest College women’s basketball team made its way to Scottsbluff, Nebraska, to take part in the Western Nebraska Community College Classic on Friday and Saturday — losing to WNCC 87-63 before defeating Northeastern Junior College 59-56 on Saturday.
WNCC 87, NORTHWEST 63Kicking off the classic, the Trappers (10-5) started out by taking on hosts WNCC (10-4) and looked to jump out early against the Cougars.
Northwest got that fast start by taking a 10-2 lead out the gate early in the first, but WNCC rallied late in the quarter and took a 13-12 lead after the first quarter.
The Trappers battled throughout the second, but the Cougars maintained their lead going into the half 30-26.
Northwest erased the deficit and held a lead 39-37 midway through the third quarter, but a massive 18-2 run sunk the Trappers’ hopes of defeating the hosts and they trailed 55-41 going into the fourth quarter.
“The bottom line was rebounding,” coach Lauren Davis said, adding the team needs to be “out-working every opponent on the boards and the defensive end.”
The Trappers never regained their footing and lost 87-63 to the Cougars.
Darla Hernandez led the Trappers with 18 in her return, Jimena Montoro-Cabezas finished with 13, while Roxanne Rogers and Nayeli Acosta both finished with 10 points.
NORTHWEST 59, NORTHEASTERN 56After the disappointing second half on Friday night, the Trappers turned around Saturday morning to take on Northeastern (4-7) and finish their road trip on a high note.
Both teams struggled to score early in the first quarter, but a late push by both teams saw Northeastern with a narrow advantage leading 18-15.
After going behind by five, the Trappers went on an 11-0 run to take a six-point lead early in the second quarter.
Northeastern stopped the run, but Northwest extended its lead further out to double digits with 3:30 left in the half.
Northwest held and extended its lead out to 38-27 going into the locker room.
A little run cut the lead to 40-35, then Natalyah Nead was injured three minutes into the half.
“[Her injury] impacted us big at first because the game plan was to pound the ball inside, and having Natalyah and Darla [Hernandez] in together was a big emphasis of the game,” Davis said. “Our girls adjusted and were able to still accomplish the outcome we wanted.”
Davis said she is unsure of the extent of the injury, but Nead is currently resting and recovering.
The lead was cut down to three with 5:23 left in the third quarter, but Northwest continued to hold off the charge until Northeastern took the lead late in the third quarter and held a 50-49 advantage going into the fourth.
Neither team found a lot of scoring in the fourth quarter, and the game was tied at 56 heading into the final minute.
After Northeast failed to score, the Trappers worked the ball down low to Hernandez, before she found a pass to Rogers at the top of the key.
Rogers fired up a shot and drilled the 3-pointer with 2.5 seconds left to make it 59-56 and give the Trappers the win.
“Roxanne is consistent and I trust her to take big time shots,” Davis said. “I was proud and not surprised in the least when she made it.”
Four Trappers finished in double figures, with Hernandez leading the way with 20 followed by Nead and Rogers with 12 and Montoro-Cabezas with 10.
HOME GAMESNorthwest returns home for the first time in a month and the final time before the winter break, hosting the First Bank Shootout Thursday (today) and Friday.
The Trappers kick off against Dawson Community College (7-4) at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday before taking on Miles Community College (4-10) on Friday at 5:30 p.m.
Northwest will be putting its unbeaten home record on the line both days, something Davis wants to maintain.
“We want to go into the break undefeated at home, and we have put in the work this week in practice to do so,” Davis said.
WNCC 87, NORTHWEST 63Offensive rebounds in ()Points — Darla Hernandez 18, Jimena Montoro-Cabezas 13, Roxanne Rogers 10, Nayeli Acosta 10, Kamber Good Luck 9, Batoul Khaleefah 2, Anna Knight 1Rebounds — Roxanne Rogers 6 (4), Jimena Montoro-Cabezas 5 (1), Darla Hernandez 5, Kamber Good Luck 4 (1), Nayeli Acosta 3, Anna Knight 2, Natalyah Nead 1Assists — Kamber Good Luck 3, Roxanne Rogers 2, Nayeli Acosta 2, Darla Hernandez 2, Jimena Montoro-Cabezas 1, Anna Knight 1, Batoul Khaleefah 1Steals — Roxanne Rogers 2, Nayeli Acosta 2, Jimena Montoro-Cabezas 1, Darla Hernandez 1, Anna Knight 1
NORTHWEST 59, NORTHEASTERN 56Points — Darla Hernandez 20, Roxanne Rogers 12, Natalyah Nead 12, Jimena Montoro-Cabezas 10, Anna Knight 3, Nayeli Acosta 2Rebounds — Darla Hernandez 9 (1), Jimena Montoro-Cabezas 7 (1), Nayeli Acosta 6 (1), Natalyah Nead 5 (1), Roxanne Rogers 3, Batoul Khaleefah 3 (1), Anna Knight 1 (1), Yaiza Vacas-Lopez 1 (1), Kamber Good Luck 1 (1)Steals — Jimena Montoro-Cabezas 4, Roxanne Rogers 3Blocks — Natalyah Nead 1