Your future, our focus
BY SETH ROMSA TRIBUNE SPORTS WRITER
Courtesy of the Powell Tribune
Another small break after returning from winter break allowed the Northwest College women’s basketball team to recover and prepare before opening Region IX North play this weekend at home against No. 21-ranked Casper College at 2 p.m.
The Trapper women enter Saturday’s game with a 13-7 record, and are coming off a 79-66 loss in their last game against Bismarck State in North Dakota on Jan. 8.
Casper College enters the game with a four-game winning streak, and holds a 17-3 record with all three of their losses coming to two ranked teams at the time of playing in College of Southern Idaho and Salt Lake Community College.
A balanced scoring effort from Casper has three players averaging more than 10 points per game, while the Thunderbirds average 74 points per game as a team and only give up 60 points per game.
“They are a tough, disciplined team and play good team basketball,” coach Lauren Davis said. “They have the personnel that anybody can go off, or everybody will contribute for them. For us that means all 12 of us have to show up because Casper will be tough as always.”
Each week Davis writes five keys to the game for the team, with this week against Casper focusing on dominating the glass as one of the top keys to the game.
Both teams have struggled on the boards in their losses, something Davis knows the Trappers will have to win if they hope to pull off the upset.
“We have to dominate the boards,” Davis said. “All of our losses we lost the rebounding category, all our wins we dominated the rebounding category.”
Northwest is led in scoring by Darla Hernandez, who comes in averaging 16.5 points per game after missing a couple of games in December with an injury.
The Trappers also have three more double digit scorers, including Roxanne Rogers (13.1), Jimena Montoro-Cabezas (10.5) and Natalyah Nead (10.5).
Nead is expected to return for the Trappers after missing three games with an injury, with Davis saying she has been going full strength at practice.
Northwest also dealt with an injury to Kamber Good Luck, who has averaged 7.1 points off the bench for the Trappers.
“Kamber will probably play limited minutes but Nat has been going full speed,” Davis said. “Everybody is healthy and we are ready to go.”
After the opening game at home the Trappers head on the road to Torrington on Wednesday to take on Eastern Wyoming (4-13) at 5:30 p.m.
“Eastern has a new coach this year so it will be hard to scout because they won’t be the same team as last year,” Davis said.
After the road game on Wednesday the Trappers will return home next Saturday to take on Western Wyoming (9-9) at 5:30 p.m.