Men roll in weekend actionThe Northwest College men's basketball team served up its own Thanksgiving feast by dining on a pair of non-conference opponents at the Lions Club Tournament in Sheridan over the weekend. The Trappers dropped the Rocky Mountain JV squad by a 111-63 count Friday before dispatching Little Big Horn College 117-68 on Saturday.

“Obviously, we weren't tested in terms of a tight game, but it was a good weekend and we picked up a couple of wins,” said NWC head coach Andy Ward. “The important thing is that we use the weekend to gear up for Wyoming Conference and Region IX play.”

Six players reached double figures against Rocky Mountain. William Walker led the parade with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Joining him with double figures in a balanced NWC scoring line were Curtis Trotter (18 points), Corey Clement (15), Ty Ackelson (14), Eric Robinson (13) and Keeton Tucker (11).

As a team, Northwest hit 54 percent of its 90 shot attempts in the contest. The Trappers were 8-for-14 from 3-point territory.

Shane Reader dished out six of the Trappers' 28 team assists in the game. Diego Pasos had four of Northwest's 17 steals as the team dominated every facet of play. NWC also held a 2-to-1 advantage in final rebounding numbers for the night.

The Trappers rolled to a 51-33 halftime lead, then pulled away after intermission. Northwest doubled up Rocky Mountain by a 60-30 count after the break.

That second-half momentum continued into Saturday as the Trappers vaulted to a 61-24 lead against Little Big Horn. Trotter finished with a weekend-best 25 points for Northwest while Walker had his second double-double of the tournament with 16 points and a team-high 11 rebounds. Pasos (13), Ackelson (11) and Osayande (11) also scored in double figures for Northwest.

Similar to the night before, Northwest held a commanding advantage on the rebounding glass, this time by a 52-27 count.

Northwest forced 31 turnovers from LBHC, including six steals by Chantz Ramos. Reader dished out six assists for the Trappers.

As a team, NWC shot nearly 55 percent from the floor.

“We rebounded exceptionally well both days of the tournament,” said Ward. “Our goal coming in was to get 60 percent of the rebounds on both nights and we were able to achieve that goal with ease both days.”

Despite the lopsided victories, Ward did find some room for improvement in the Trappers' play.

“We turned the ball over too much,” said Ward. “There were a lot of shots and a lot of possessions in both games and sometimes I felt we didn't protect the basketball the way we should. We let the tempo of the game make us sloppy at times.”

The Trappers, 5-1 now this season, return to action this weekend at the Trapper Tournament in Powell. Northwest hosts the College of Eastern Utah on Friday night and Snow College on Saturday night. The games are the start of a four-game home stand to close out the first semester for NWC.

“The polls haven't come out yet, but I expect Eastern Utah will be ranked nationally when they play here on Friday,” Ward said.

“Snow will also be a tough game. We need to have a great week of practice and stay focused, because we will definitely be tested.”

Northwest 117, Little Big Horn 68

Ramos 8, Clement 7, Osayande 11, Trotter 25, Tucker 4, Ackelson 11, Crandall 6, Reader 6, Smith 4, Robinson 2, Pasos 13, Walker 16, Rumley 4.

Northwest 111, Rocky Mountain JV 63