Your future, our focus
Loss to Sheridan Ends 2011 Portion of Campaign
Basketball is not like figure skating, and that’s just fine with Trapper women’s coach Janis Beal. Chances are there wouldn’t have been many style points awarded for Northwest’s victory over Central Wyoming anyway.
For that matter, there weren’t many regular points scored either as Northwest departed from Riverton with a 49-41 victory to open the Region IX season.
“It was an ugly game on both ends,” Beal acknowledged. “I don’t think either team played well.”
That might be an understatement after Northwest and Central Wyoming combined to score just 35 first-half points and shoot 25 percent for the game, including a frigid 2-for-27 from behind the 3-point arc. Central further added to its woes by connecting on just four of their 13 free throws.
“I’d like to say it was great defense, but I truly think it was just one of those nights where shots weren’t going in,” Beal said. “We were lucky, because there’s not many times you can shoot 22 percent from the floor like we did and come away with a win, especially on the road.”
But that’s exactly what the Trappers were able to accomplish, largely because of the team’s dominance in two areas of the game. Northwest out-rebounded Central by a 61-44 final margin. Northwest also received 33 free throw attempts, connecting on 22 of those. Compared to Central’s charity stripe woes, the disparity proved insurmountable.
“Rebounding was a huge factor for us,” said Beal. “We did a good job of pulling down the basketball, which is good since there were so many rebounds in that game. We also did a good job attacking the basket and getting some free throws.”
The Trappers took control of the game for good with an eight-point run late in the second half.
“We were finally able to get a spurt where we scored a couple baskets in transition and put together an eight-point run,” Beal said. “In a game where there’s so little scoring, that was huge.”
Despite the off night for the offense, the Trappers were still able to get three players in double figures in the scoring department. Kennedy Allen’s 16 points led all scorers in the contest. Mariah Duran added 13 points while Layana de Souza chipped in with 10 points, the same production as the rest of the Trappers’ roster combined produced.
Taylor Ryan hauled down 13 rebounds for Northwest. Leslie Blackburn added nine in just 10 minutes of work.
“Leslie did a great job of hustling to the ball and getting in position to get rebounds,” Beal said.
While Northwest was able to capture a victory in its final road game of 2011, the Trappers were not as fortunate in their final home game of the year. Northwest saw Sheridan come to town on Saturday and depart with a74-61 win that sends Northwest into the holidays with a 9-6 overall record and a 1-1 mark in Region IX North play.
Northwest trailed by four at the half, but failed to keep pace with Sheridan over the final 20 minutes. Four of Sheridan’s starting five finished in double figures as the Lady Generals’ bench accounted for just six points in the contest.
The Trappers were led by de Souza’s 17-point effort. Allen added 16 points as Northwest hit 44 percent from the floor in the contest.
After dominating the rebounding glass in Riverton, the Trappers found themselves at a significant disadvantage in that department against Sheridan. The visiting team limited Northwest to just six offensive rebounds in the game while owning a 38-27 advantage overall.
Allen finished with seven rebounds to pace Northwest.
Northwest College now breaks for the holidays. The team returns to competition with a Region IX North game at Little Big Horn College on Jan. 7.
NORTHWEST 49, C. WYOMING 41
Kennedy Allen 16, Layana de Souza 10, Taylor Ryan 4, Mariah Duran 13, Savannah Minder 4, Leslie Thronburg 2.
SHERIDAN 74, NORTHWEST 61 Meagan Butler 2, Kennedy Allen 16, Layana de Souza 17, Taylor Ryan 5, Mariah Duran 6, Savannah Minder 6, Leslie Thronburg 5, Leslie Blackburn 4.