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Win At Williston State Highlight OF Weekend
The Northwest College women’s basketball team opened the 2019-20 on the road last week, winning its first game of the season against Williston State, before falling in close contests against Dawson and Miles community colleges.
The Lady Trappers (1-2) scored a double-digit win over Williston State Thursday 61-49, behind a double-double by Samiyah Worrell. NWC took DCC (2- 3) to OT Friday before falling to the Lady Bucs 70-64. Against MCC Saturday, the Lady Trappers led 38-36 at the break before the Lady Pioneers battled back in the second half to win 69-57.
“We played pretty well, overall,” said NWC head coach Camden Levett. “A couple of those games didn’t work out the way we would have liked, but that’s OK. It’s back to work this week.”
LADY TRAPPERS 61 WILLISTON STATE 49
Defense was the name of the game against the Lady Tetons in NWC’s season opener, as the Lady Trappers forced Williston State (0-5) into 22 turnovers.
Worrell had 10 steals and 14 points for a double-double, plus four assists.
“Not too bad for your first collegiate basketball game,” Levett said.
The Lady Trappers led 30-28 at the break, then outscored the Lady Tetons 31- 21 in the second half for the 61-49 win.
Sophomore Tess Henry scored 12 points off the bench, including a pair of 3-pointers.
“I think that’s a credit to her teammates,” Levett said of her strong play. “They know she’s a really good shooter, and we gotta get her more looks.”
Freshmen Adela Smutna and Raquel Turner netted 10 points apiece.
Turner “played a big role for us,” the coach said, noting she had no turnovers alongside seven rebounds and a blocked shot.
“We had a pretty balanced offense there. We came out ready to play,” Levett said. “Williston had a bit of an advantage already having three games under their belt. We had a few first-game jitters, but we stayed with them in the first quarter and had a small lead at half. We just took over in the second half.”
NWC won the battle of the boards 48-45; Riley Aiono came off the bench to lead the team with eight boards; Tessa Henry finished with five.
DAWSON CC 70 LADY TRAPPERS 64
Friday’s contest against the Lady Bucs (3-2) was a nail-biter, with neither team able to gain an advantage until overtime. Once there, the Lady Trappers ran out of steam, being outscored 12-6 to fall 70-64.
Lily Henry hit a couple clutch free throws to tie the game late in regulation, then Dawson missed two of their own attempts in the closing seconds.
“We were lucky to get to overtime,” Levett said.
Worrell again led the team in scoring, netting 20 points to go along with four assists and three steals. Turner followed with 14 points, Tess Henry had nine and Lily Henry scored seven points while pulling down 11 boards.
“I think our guard play was really good against Dawson,” Levett said.
The Lady Trappers attempted 30 3-pointers against Dawson’s zone defense made only five of them — a performance Levett bemoaned — but the coach praised the girls’ work on the boards. The Lady Trappers out rebounded Dawson 58-49.
“Offensive rebounds were working for us, we had 21 of those,” he said. “We had 27 fouls to their 20, definitely something we need to work on. We had 18 free throw attempts to their 36. I’m no math genius, but I think that’s double. It’s hard to win on the road when you ... give them so many chances at the free throw line.”
MILES CC 69, LADY TRAPPERS 57
Still smarting from their overtime loss to Dawson the night before, the Lady Trappers came out ready to play Saturday against MCC, battling to a 38-36 halftime lead.
But things fell apart in the third quarter, as the Lady Pioneers went on a 24-7 run to go up 60-45. NWC outscored the home team 12-9 in the fourth but MCC held on for the 69-57 win.
“We played 14 girls in this game; there aren’t a lot of programs out there that play that many. But everyone came ready to work,” Levett said. “We had girls diving on the floor for loose balls, getting in there and rebounding. They played really hard. We just had a really bad third quarter.”
Smutna netted 13 points and pulled down five rebounds. When Worrell got into some foul trouble Kendall Wright came off the bench to play a career-high 21 minutes, score seven points and dish off a pair of assists.
“She stepped in at the point and did a great job,” Levett said of Wright.
Meanwhile, Aubrie Stenerson of Powell, Melissa Martinez and Turner added six points apiece; Stenerson did her damage in just six minutes on the floor.
“Aubrie played really well for us. She really made a good impression on me,” Levett said. “We’re going to get her in the ball game a little earlier next time. She’s earned it.”
The Lady Trappers opened up at home Wednesday against Rocky Mountain JV, and will host the Big Horn Federal Shootout this weekend, with games scheduled against Bismarck State College at 5:30 p.m. Friday and an All-Star team at 3 p.m. Saturday.