Your future, our focus
Tess Henry gets bonus points.
The Northwest College sophomore, who is one of the leading returning players for the women’s basketball team, went home for the summer and returned with another player – her sister.
Lily Henry, two years older, played some at four-year Corban College in Oregon, but left and has eligibility.
“She came to some of our games, and said she missed playing,” Tess Henry said.
Northwest ran out of players with injuries at the end of last year’s bruising 4-26 season, with just eight healthy bodies.
This year coach Camden Levett starts the season with 15 mobile players, but alas for the Lady Trappers, one additional potential major contributor is on crutches and ruled out for the season.
Returning sophomore Juliana Ribeiro, a 6-foot-3 center from Brazil, has a new job as student assistant after tearing up her knee on a team bonding hike to the summit of Heart Mountain. Ribeiro had to be flown off the mountain.
Northwest starts the 2019-20 season with three straight road games beginning tonight through Saturday against Williston State, Dawson Community College and Miles Community College.
The first home game is Nov. 13 against Rocky Mountain College’s junior varsity at 5:30 p.m.
Tess Henry, who averaged 6 points a game, said the constant losing, the inexperience of many freshmen and multiple injuries were discouraging facts of life.
“Last year was just long,” she said. “It was a rough year. This year we have so many more people. We have so many more people who can contribute.”
Among those returners are Melissa Martinez, Brittany Roberts and Jenna Lohrenz.
“We do have a lot of freshmen,” Lohrenz said. “We have a lot more bodies and that can be a huge help.
“We want to get off to a good start, win a lot of games and have fun.”
Those are desirable goals for every team.