Trappers dominate Rocky Mountain JV in Cabre Gym

Posted 2/23/21

Northwest College sophomore Jerome Mabry approached the lane Wednesday on a fastbreak with just one man in his way, Rocky Mountain College’s Liam McKenny. With McKenny running toward him, Mabry …

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Trappers dominate Rocky Mountain JV in Cabre Gym

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Northwest College sophomore Jerome Mabry approached the lane Wednesday on a fastbreak with just one man in his way, Rocky Mountain College’s Liam McKenny. With McKenny running toward him, Mabry wasn’t intimidated. 

“Anybody who runs with me on fastbreaks, I automatically think I will dunk on them, no matter who it is,” Mabry said.

The NWC sophomore leapt into the air and threw down a one-handed slam over McKenny, who made a tragic mistake: jumping.

As soon as the ball went through the basket and McKenny tumbled to the floor, every spectator in Cabre Gym rose to their feet, in awe of what they had just witnessed. 

“It felt so good,” Mabry said. “The dunk was enough, but the crowd’s and my team’s energy toward the dunk topped it off.”

Head coach Jay Collins said, “I’ve seen a lot of dunks, but that one was up there. I honestly didn’t know he had that in him, but it really got the fans going.”

That poster late in the first half provided a presage of Northwest’s dominance in the two-game set against the Battlin’ Bears junior varsity squad. The Trappers sailed to a 96-72 win Wednesday and followed that with a 93-55 victory over the Rocky Mountain College JV the next day. 

Between COVID-19 limiting the Trappers’ fall practice schedule and a few
players leaving the program, Northwest’s 6-4 start has impressed Collins. 

“It’s been good for us,” he said. “We faced some adversity, but we have a lot of dudes stepping up at the right time.”

Mabry was one of a few standouts Collins singled out in the wins, notching 16 points on Wednesday, along with a nine-rebound performance the next day. 

Sophomore transfer Jaren Fritz combined for 36 points in the two games, knocking down nine 3-pointers. Collins described Fritz as a “weapon,” who finds the right shots and “shoots the ball so well.” Freshman Seyi Oyeku also excelled in the two-game home stand, leading the team with 19 points on Wednesday. 

With a winning record entering Region IX play, Collins is pleased with where his team stands. The coach said he thinks the back-to-back home games to close out non-league play was a strong opportunity for his squad to polish before league action.

“It was good to get some last-minute tune-up games,” Collins said. “Everyone played, we worked on our zone, and we got it all on video. Now we just have to look at where we need to improve and correct that.”

The Trappers begin region play Wednesday in Riverton against Central Wyoming College. Then, four days later, they’ll come back to Powell for a 4 p.m. tilt with Laramie County Community College. 

Though the games against Rocky Mountain provided fans with a snapshot of NWC’s 2021 team, Collins looks forward to hosting regional action in Cabre Gym. 

“It’s been too long since we’ve had a lot of fans, so it will be nice to have the community here,” Collins said. “We’re able to get people in here, so we want to reach the 223-fan capacity.”

      

NWC 96, Rocky Mountain JV 72

Points — Seyi Oyeku 19, Jerome Mabry 16, Andre Loigu 15, Jaren Fritz 13, Hayden Peterson 11, Gabriel Gutierrez 10, Jahquel Goss 7, Jacob Schilder 5. Rebounds — Mabry 8, Oyeku 7, Gutierez 6. Assists — Oyeku 5. Steals — Peterson 5.

        

NWC 93, Rocky Mountain JV 55

Points — Frtiz 20, Oyeku 17, Gutierrez 14, Loigu 14, Schilder 12, Mabry 9, Liam Guthrie 3, Goss 2, Colton Thorness 2. Rebounds — Gutierrez 10, Mabry 9, Oyeku 6. Assists — Oyeku 8.

Northwest College, Trapper Basketball

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