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Trappers Win Over Rocky JV Monday
Northwest College Lady Trappers scored a free-wheeling 85-76 basketball win over the Rocky Mountain College JV in Billings Monday as a tune-up to return games Friday and Saturday with Miles Community College and Dawson Community College at Cabre Gym.
The NWC women (5-6) tip off against Miles at 5:30 p.m. Friday and Dawson at 2 p.m. Saturday in the First Bank Shootout.
Coach Camden Levett’s Lady Trappers lost to both Montana teams on the road on the opening weekend of the season. Dawson edged the Trappers 70-64 in overtime, and Miles claimed a 69-57 victory.
“Those were our second and third games of the season on the road,” Levett said. “We’re looking forward to playing at home.”
In its first 11 games, Northwest has only played three games on its home hardwoods. The Lady Trappers are 2-1 at Cabre and 3-5 on the road.
At Billings Monday, the pace was hectic. It was the last game of the season for the Rocky JV, and they were firing freely. The Rocky women shot 39 3-point attempts in the game and made 13 for 33 percent.
The Lady Trappers were getting off plenty of shots of their own. “We had 37 shot attempts at halftime,” said Levett, in describing an up and down the court first half.
Northwest led by only five, 39-34, at intermission, but built the lead in the second half. The Rocky JV made a run in the fourth quarter to get within nine.
Freshman Samiyah Worrell propelled the NWC women by scoring 27 points. She connected on 9 of 12 from the floor, including 5 of 6 3-point attempts. As a team, Northwest was 6 of 18 from beyond the arc for 33 percent, with Worrell accounting for five of the six made 3-pointers.
With a comfortable margin, Levett said he was pleased that his team was able to work on some new things in the second half.
“We worked on a press and forced 25 turnovers,” he said. “We had 18 steals as we tried to force the tempo.”
Adela Smutna had a big game for the Lady Trappers. The freshman from the Czech Republic is left-handed, “and she’s getting more comfortable in driving to the basket,” Levett said.
She scored 15 points and had nine rebounds, four assists, four steals and a blocked shot.
“That’s a full game,” her coach enthused.
Sisters Tess and Lily Henry were each in double figures with11 and 10 points respectively. Raquel Turner added eight points and Lucy Tuigamala had nine. Her nine points came on three of three shooting from the field and three of three from the free throw line.
Melissa Martinez with three points and Jenna Lohrenz with two rounded out the NWC women scoring.
The Lady Trappers shot 44 percent for the game on 29 of 66 field goal attempts. They were 21 of 32 for 66 percent from the free throw line.