NWC women’s basketball goes 2-1 in Nebraska

Posted 2/18/21

Thursday was an exhausting day for Northwest College women’s basketball. 

The squad left Powell at 7 a.m. for a seven-hour bus ride to Scottsbluff, Nebraska, the site of the …

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NWC women’s basketball goes 2-1 in Nebraska

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Thursday was an exhausting day for Northwest College women’s basketball. 

The squad left Powell at 7 a.m. for a seven-hour bus ride to Scottsbluff, Nebraska, the site of the Trappers’ weekend tournament. They checked into their hotel just a couple hours before their first contest against Central Community College. 

That fatigue, however, didn’t show on the court. NWC opened the three-game weekend with a 74-67 win over the Raiders. 

“We actually jumped on them big time,” NWC head coach Camden Levett said. 

Northwest opened a 38-22 lead at halftime, fueled by balanced scoring. Though CCC was able to claw back into it, efficient shooting allowed the Trappers to secure the win. Three NWC players — Shelby Tarter, Samiyah Worrell and Sydney Prather — finished in double figures, and 10 of the team’s 11 players scored.

The next day, NWC “played well for 3.5 quarters” against Western Nebraska Community College, according to Levett. At halftime, the Trappers trailed WNCC — the No. 19 team in the NJCAA rankings — by just one. 

But in the third quarter, the Cougars went on a run and their top player, Lidsey Mahoukou, found a hot hand, finishing with 28 points. WNCC ended up winning 91-76, but Levett was still impressed with his team’s effort against a nationally ranked foe.

“We competed with them at a place where they don’t lose very often,” Levett said. “It was really just a bad five minutes, and I’m proud of how we played.”

After a competitive effort against WNCC, the Trappers were motivated for their final game of the weekend, a Saturday morning tilt with Lamar Community College. 

Outscoring Lamar 18-7 in the third quarter, the Trappers built a double-digit lead late in the game. Lamar caught fire in the fourth, increasing pressure on both ends, but NWC was still able to win 54-52 to close out a 2-1 weekend.

Scoring 39 points in the three games, Riley Aiono was Northwest’s top offensive player on the weekend, also notching a double-double against Lamar. But beyond Aiono’s impressive three games, Levett was excited to see valuable contributions from every player on the roster. 

“With this roster, it can be anybody on a given night,” Levett said. “That’s what we want to do. Overall I thought we played really well. Collectively, we saw some really good things.”

Now 4-4 overall, NWC returned home Wednesday for its first home contest against Rocky Mountain junior varsity. The Trappers face the Battlin’ Bears today (Thursday) as well. 

Though the coach said his team has become “road warriors,” the team is ready to play in front of fans at Cabre Gym after eight games away from home.

“It’s good to have the community into it,” Levett said. “We don’t even have a taste of what it’s like to play at home. We’re all excited for this week.”

    

NWC 74, Central Community College 67

Points — Shelby Tarter 11, Sydney Prather 11, Samiyah Worrell 10, Raquel Turner 9, Riley Aiono 8, Tatiana Coleman 7, Adela Smutna 6, Kierra Cutright 6, Hidaya Thornton 4, Celina Tress 2; Rebounds — Cutright 5, Tarter 4, Aiono 4, Coleman 3, Worrell 2, Prather 2; Steals — Worrell 5

    

Western Nebraska Community College 91, NWC 76

Points — Aiono 15, Prather 12, Turner 12, Cutright 9, Worrell 7, Thornton 6, Tarter 6, Smutna 5, Coleman 4; Rebounds — Aiono 8, Cutright 7, Worrell 6, Prather 6, Coleman 6, Smutna 5, Turner 3, Thornton 2, Tarter 2

    

NWC 54, Lamar Community College 52

Points — Aiono 16, Worrell 11, Prather 9, Cutright 5, Turner 5, Coleman 4, Tarter 3, Thornton 1; Rebounds — Aiono 10, Prather 9, Tarter 6, Cutright 6, Worrell 5, Thornton 3, Hanna Harris 2, Turner 2, Smutna 2, Coleman 2

Northwest College, Trapper Basketball

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