It’s Trappers time!

For the first time ever, the Northwest College men’s basketball team is hosting the Region IX tourney. Four games will be played today (Thursday), with tip-offs set for 1, 3, 5 and 7 p.m.

The Trappers, on a 14-game winning streak and bearing a 27-4 record, 13-1 in conference play, will take on Western Nebraska in the final game of the evening. The Cougars handed NWC its first loss of the season on Nov. 1.

Semifinal games are set for 5 and 7 p.m. Friday with the championship game beginning at 7 p.m. Saturday.

A special section inside today’s Powell Tribune offers a detailed look at the tournament.

“We are thrilled to be hosting the Region IX tournament here in Powell,” NWC President Stefani Hicswa said Wednesday. “It is a great opportunity for our campus and the community. I am really proud of the professionalism and all the hard work everyone has put in to getting everything ready.

“I am also very proud of our team,” Hicswa said. “I wish Coach (Brian) Erickson and the players good luck this weekend. Go Trappers!”

While the Big Horn Basin will be cheering for the Trappers, the Powell business community members also will come out winners, according to Powell Valley Chamber of Commerce  Executive Director Jaime Schmeiser.

Virtually every hotel and motel room in town was taken by mid-week, she said. People who come for the tourney will tour NWC and “explore all of the other great things Powell has to offer,” Schmeiser said.

“The economic impact of sports tournaments is tremendous for our area,” she said. “School sports, youth sports and the like give our local economy an infusion of new spending.  Students and youth come to compete, while their friends and families fill hotel rooms, dine in local restaurants and shop in local stores.

“And, the benefits extend far beyond the hospitality and service industries in our area,” Schmeiser said. “The impact extends beyond economic growth. Becoming a sports destination or an event destination makes Powell a better place to live.”