Northwest pushed its lead out to 20 points with four minutes remaining in the first half before Laramie cut the gap to 15 at intermission. The Trappers returned from the locker room to knock down the first 10 points of the second half.
The game …
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{gallery}01_19_10/trapperbball{/gallery}Jens Dossing draws contact from an Eastern Wyoming defender while attempting a shot during Friday's win by the Trappers. Tribune photo by Randal Horobik Trapper men go 3-0 to end weekThe Northwest College men's basketball team capped a three-game week with a lights-out shooting display on Saturday to score a 106-82 win over Laramie County. The victory came on top of wins against Eastern Wyoming (76-58) and Miles Community College (77-70). The Trappers made Saturday's win over Laramie County seem almost effortless at times, knocking down almost 64 percent of their shots from the floor, including a sizzling 10-for-14 display from 3-point territory. Northwest College broke the game open with an 11-0 run just before the midway point of the first half, transforming a 17-17 tie into a double-digit lead the team never relinquished.
Northwest pushed its lead out to 20 points with four minutes remaining in the first half before Laramie cut the gap to 15 at intermission. The Trappers returned from the locker room to knock down the first 10 points of the second half.
The game never got closer than 20 points from there on.
“It sure helps when you shoot the ball that well,” said Northwest College head coach Andy Ward, whose team now sits at 15-3 overall this season. “When you're hitting like that, it covers for some of your mistakes.”
To be sure, the Trappers had some mistakes. The team turned the ball over 33 times against a trapping Golden Eagle defense and also surrendered 18 offensive rebounds to Laramie County. In the end, it didn't matter.
“We played well and shot the ball very well,” said Ward. “We got some great play from our bench today and we were able to get out there and create some turnovers.”
Valdez Green finished with 26 points to help the Trappers avenge an early-season 78-75 loss at the hands of Laramie County. Demetrice Jacobs (15 points), Casper Hesseldal (14) and Mitch Ackelson (11) also reached double figures for Northwest. Jacobs also dished out six assists in the game.
Earlier in the week, the Trappers broke open a close game late in the first half against Eastern Wyoming to score an eventual 18-point victory. Jacobs had 22 points in that game while Hesseldal finished with 14 points and eight rebounds. Green (12) and Alfonzo Hubbard (11) also reached double figures.
Key to the Trappers' victory was the team's ownership of both backboards. Northwest finished Friday night with a 41-24 lead in rebounds. Hubbard and Ricardo Andreotti each hauled in nine rebounds to pace the team.
Jacobs also produced for the Trappers in the seven-point win over Miles, finishing with 29 points. Hubbard added 22 points in support.
“I wasn't real happy with our play,” Ward said of the important sub-region win. “When you look at the stats from that game, it is a game that we shouldn't have had to worry about in the final minute.”
Miles rallied to within a point of Northwest, 71-70, in the final minute of the Wednesday win. The Trappers made the necessary free throws down the stretch to improve to 2-0 in sub-region play.
Northwest held a commanding 47-25 lead in rebounding. Hesseldal and Hubbard both broke into double figures with 11 boards.
“We played three teams with three very different styles of play,” said Ward. “The thing that I'm most pleased with is that we adjusted well to how we needed to play against each of them.”