Lady Trappers triumph with 1-2 punch

Posted 11/18/14

NWC used overwhelming back-to-back efforts on both sides of the ball to secure a 94-77 victory over Bismarck State College on Friday before turning away Dawson Community College 85-58 Saturday in the First Bank of Wyoming Shootout at Cabre Gym in …

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Lady Trappers triumph with 1-2 punch

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Offense, defense delivers first winning streak

Northwest College women’s basketball coach Janis Beal was waiting for a well-rounded effort from her team.

The Lady Trappers gave her two.

NWC used overwhelming back-to-back efforts on both sides of the ball to secure a 94-77 victory over Bismarck State College on Friday before turning away Dawson Community College 85-58 Saturday in the First Bank of Wyoming Shootout at Cabre Gym in Powell.

“I was very pleased with our first action at home,” Beal said. “I felt like the girls brought a lot of energy into the weekend and that really showed both offensively and defensively.”

Friday’s 17-point win over Bismarck demonstrated Beal’s strategy of giving each player on her roster playing time this season. All 11 Trappers saw the court, and nine scored points, including Rose Snow, who managed a basket despite getting just 30 seconds of action.

“As I said at the beginning of the year, everyone is going to be expected to contribute this season, and in some way everyone did,” Beal added.

Against the Mystics, NWC (3-3) trailed 33-30 late in the first half after Bismarck’s MiKaela Forster nailed a 3-pointer. But Shelby Nicholson responded with a fast-break layup started by a Chandler Rose steal and assist, and the Trappers reeled off a 13-5 run to take a 43-38 lead into the half. Nicholson fueled the move with 10 points including two traditional 3-point plays after being fouled on layups. The sophomore finished with 19 points for the game.

Caitlin Clancy pushed NWC’s lead to 10 with a fouled layup and free throw to start the second-half scoring, and the Trappers cruised until Bismarck made a final run midway through the second half. Trailing 60-48, BSC’s Courtney Trolliey started an 8-0 push with a jumper. Two Mystic free throws continued the run and two straight treys from Tyler Sumpter had Bismarck within 62-58.

“I think we just got a little lax there, and Bismarck was taking advantage,” Beal said. “But I was happy with how the girls regrouped and pulled away.”

NWC answered the run with a 9-1 surge of its own, starting with Kealani Sagapolu’s layup. Dana Bjorhus added a layup Clancy hit a triple and Rose found the basket as NWC regained a 12-point lead and was never threatened again.

Clancy led the Trappers with 20 points, Hatti Snyder had 16, Sagapolu posted 13 with 12 rebounds and Bjorhus had 11 points. Beal was happy with the victory, as it appeared her team learned from past mistakes in an 83-66 loss to Bismarck on Oct. 31.

“I was excited to get back on the court against Bismarck because I wanted to see if the girls had made the adjustments we went through in practice,” Beal said. “It’s encouraging to see the girls execute the way we wanted to.”

NWC continued its winning ways Saturday, allowing its second-lowest points of the season (55 on Nov. 1) against Dawson. The game got out of hand quickly, as Aubree Porter’s layup put the Trappers ahead 20-9 before the halfway point in the first 20 minutes of play.

Kayla Cheney’s jumper bumped the advantage to 37-16 before the break, and Snyder and Nicholson drilled back-to-back baskets to give NWC a commanding 43-18 at the half.

“It was great to see things continue over from Friday, both offensively and defensively,” Beal said. “Everyone was playing hard on both sides of the ball and making good choices.”

Ten Trappers saw minutes and all 10 added at least two points to the NWC cause. The NWC lead swelled to a game-high 60-24 early in the second half when Clancy scored a lay-up and a free throw.

Nicholson scored 17 points and 11 rebounds for NWC, while Whitney Hatch added 13 points and Bjorhus chipped in 11. Clancy led all scorers with 22 points and four assists.

“I just wanted to continue what I sort of started yesterday, and it felt great to be a part of a nice team effort,” Clancy said. “I think the difference for us today and Friday was ball movement and attitude. We were all on the same page as one and wanted to get everyone involved.”

The Lady Trappers continue their regular season today (Tuesday) when they host Rocky Mountain College’s junior varsity at 5:30 p.m. at Cabre Gym.

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