23-1 run ignites Trapper romp; team moves to 7-1 on season

At one point, the Trappers trailed by four.

And then, the Northwest College men’s basketball team left a trail of fire behind them as they chalked up a 100-70 rout of Rocky Mountain College’s visiting junior varsity squad Tuesday at Cabre Gym in Powell.

The Trappers survived an early burst of 3-pointers from RMC before erupting for a 23-1 run that put the game away and improved NWC to 7-1 on the season while pushing its winning streak to six.

The Trappers shot an impressive 52 percent from the floor for the game (37-of-71), and 12 players scored. But it took an early wake-up call to get the hosts going.

“I wasn’t particularly happy with how we performed early on,” NWC coach Brian Erickson said. “We’re still giving up too many 3-pointers, especially there at the beginning.”

After Chris Boucher opened the scoring for the Trappers with a layup, Rocky Mountain took the lead on Tiegan Johnson’s 3-pointer from the wing. Two of the Battlin’ Bears’ next four shots came from beyond the arc, as Parker Swenson hit two from downtown to give his team an early 9-5 edge. Daryle Morgan hit a jumper for NWC, but a Johnson layup pushed the Bears’ lead to 11-7.

Then, William Desilien took over, sending the Trappers on their way. After already drilling a 3-pointer earlier in the game, Desilien continued to spark the NWC offense, draining another trey to cut his team’s deficit to 11-10, and another after EJ Hubbard’s layup that made it 15-11 in favor of the Trappers. Desilien posted eight points in the first 5:05 of play, and finished with 18 for the game.

“I was just getting good looks. My teammates were finding me in good spots early and I just said ‘Hey, why not take the shots?” Desilien said of his quick start. “It took us a little bit to get going, and I’m glad I was able to provide a quick spark for the guys to help things along.”

Desilien’s early outburst was part of a Trappers run that turned their 11-7 deficit into a 30-12 lead with 10:24 left in the first half. Dan Milota finished the decisive 23-1 run with a jumper. After an RMC free throw, Taylor Shamo (11 points) hit a triple to give NWC its first 20-point cushion of the game with 9:53 still left in the first half.

“I was just feeling good, and I think eventually we were all feeling pretty good,” Shamo said. “All of the guys got a chance to contribute and it was good to be a part of. Everyone was having fun.”

Shamo’s 11 points gave him his first double-digit outing of the season. By halftime, NWC led 54-34 thanks to Desilien’s buzzer-beating 3-pointer from way beyond the arc that punctuated NWC’s offensive free-for-all in the first half. After the break, Erickson was much happier with the direction of ballgame, and opted to give his reserves an extended stay on the court.

The NWC offense didn’t miss a beat with its bench, as reserves Eric Robinson (nine points) Jordan Rood (eight) just missed joining Desilien, Milota and leading scorer Boucher (22 points) in double figures.

“It makes me happy as a coach when I can put those bench guys on the court, and give them an opportunity to be coached hard and observed the way they should be,” Erickson said. “I’m happy I was able to give those kids an opportunity to really get going on the court and find some rhythm.”

After Ammar Rehman’s running jumper saw the Trapper lead swell to 80-50, Erickson unleashed his bench. And every time a reserve would score, NWC’s sideline erupted as if a game-winning shot had been scored.

“I think it’s important for the bench to get in and play, especially in a game like this one,” Boucher said. “When we get into a tight game, where we need everyone, we have to know that we can trust those bench guys, and they showed us tonight that we can.”

The Trappers are now 3-0 at home, and will finish their four-game homestand with a matchup against the Utah-Stars at 7 p.m. Friday at Cabre Gym. The Utah All-Stars are mainly comprised of more experienced players, including former NCAA Division I players, presenting a unique challenge for Erickson’s squad.

“Those guys are a bunch of late 20s, early 30s basketball players with more experience than most of the players on our team,” Erickson said. “They play old-man, fundamental basketball and they are really going to give our kids a run for their money. It’s going to be a test for our kids and a fun game to watch.”