Northwest College

News Archive (2019-20 and older)

Lady Trappers Advance With Western Win

During the big run in the second half when the Northwest women’s basketball team was driving a stake in the heart of Western Wyoming, Alexi Payne was so hot she clapped her hands loud enough for the gym to hear.

It was a universal give-me-the-ball-gesture because she was in one of those zones when a player feels she can’t miss.

“A little bit,” Payne said of that emotion. “We all have our nights.”

Last Friday’s Region IX playoff game was one of hers – as well as just about all of her teammates’. The Lady Trappers blew away the Mustangs 103-64 at Cabre Gym to raise their record to 24-7 and advance to the quarterfinals of the regionals Thursday in Casper.

It was a special night for a team that saw nine sophomores play in their final home game and stay alive to play another day. The final score was not close, but although Northwest had blitzed the Mustangs twice during the regular season, this time Western stayed close into the second half.

Those last two quarters showcased the Trappers at their finest with a 60-26 spread, dominating rebounding and fast-breaking and 30 assists that illustrated superb ball movement.

“It’s something we are all going to cherish,” Payne said of the feel-good, post-game glow the squad hopes will follow it into the next round.

Payne of Molt, Mont., scored 17 points and contributed six rebounds and five assists. The Trappers have employed a spread-the-wealth offense all season and players took turns during this 40-minute extravaganza, which was the fourth time this year the team exceeded 100 points.

Kira Marlow had 19 points and 9 rebounds. Payne and Dallas Petties each had 17. Tayla Sayer scored 13 points and added nine assists and Tala Aumua-Tuisavura scored 11. Center Julynne da Silva Sa scored 10 points and played one of her finest defensive games, adding eight rebounds, but also destroying Western inside with her five blocks.

“She was aggressive,” said coach Janis Beal of da Silva Sa.

Beal said once the team got past some shaky stretches in the first half by tweaking the defense and stepping up hustle on the boards, it was the Trappers’ game.

“They each had big plays in big moments,” Beal said.

During the opening minutes of the third quarter, Northwest went on a 17-2 run. Then, during the opening moments of the fourth quarter, Northwest went on a 17-0 run. The fourth quarter alone was 30-9 Northwest. Things were clicking so well the Trappers broke free for repeated fast-breaks and almost every basket over the last 10 minutes was either a layup or few-footer.

“We came out sluggish in the first half and we were missing our shots,” Petties said. “We knew what we had to do and we did it in the second half.”

As time ticked off the clock, the hungry and loud crowd was rooting for the Trappers to break 100 points. Fans got what they wanted in a way that made them happiest. Sophomore Mattie Creager, who missed all but the last few games because of a knee injury, scored her only hoop of the night on a layup that put the team over 100.

Creager missed so much time this winter she could have red-shirted and come back for another season. But she wanted to be part of this team’s accomplishments and the sense of sisterhood it has fostered, so gave up a year for a month.

“I knew we could go far,” Creager said. “It was really fun today.”

The Trappers huddled for many post-game hugs. They posed for pictures, including one where the sophomores all flexed their arm muscles. In the locker room, the players doused Beal and assistant coach Steve Coleman with water, which was an inside joke following up on the coaches tossing water on them after a recent big win at Miles City.

This win set up the Trappers’ next playoff game against 15-13 Trinidad State of Colorado at 1 p.m. at Casper College on Thursday.

“We’re having so much fun,” Marlow said, “it means we can play together again.”