Trappers continue skid against WWCC, EWC

Posted 3/11/21

The first 17 minutes of Northwest College’s men’s basketball game against Western Wyoming Thursday was arguably the team’s best offensive stretch of the entire 2021 season.  

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Trappers continue skid against WWCC, EWC

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The first 17 minutes of Northwest College’s men’s basketball game against Western Wyoming Thursday was arguably the team’s best offensive stretch of the entire 2021 season. 

Shooting 57.9% from beyond the arc, the Trappers made 3-pointer after 3-pointer to lead 51-30 with three minutes left in the first half. Sophomores Jaren Fritz and Hayden Peterson combined for 32 points on 10-of-14 shooting in the first half.

The problem? Northwest’s efficient offense didn’t last. Struggles from the field and strong offense from WWCC allowed the Mustangs to earn a 78-71 win at Cabre Gym.

“We just stopped making shots,” head coach Jay Collins said.

After ending the first half on a 7-0 run, WWCC came out of halftime firing. The Mustangs shot above 50% from the field in the second half, while NWC shot 33.3%. 

From three, the Trappers didn’t have any of their first-half success. They posted a 20% clip from deep (3-of-15).

“They were the same shots we were making earlier in the game,” Collins said. “I think we were a little fatigued, but they were the same shots we were making.”

With under 10 minutes remaining, the Mustangs took a 68-67 lead, one they would not surrender. 

Fritz’s 20 points was NWC’s team high, while Jerome Mabry and Peterson also finished in double figures, scoring 18 and 16, respectively.

The Trappers’ next game, a Saturday evening tilt with Eastern Wyoming, was the opposite of Thursday’s loss. NWC struggled to find any offensive groove in the first half, going to the locker room trailing 43-19. 

“We had a slow start,” Collins said. “We had to travel seven hours and it was a quick turnaround, but I don’t want to make excuses for our guys.”

In the second half, NWC competed better, scoring 36 points. But the 24-point halftime deficit proved too large, as EWC coasted to a 79-55 win. 

Three Trappers — Mabry, Seyi Oyeku and Gabriel Gutierrez — scored nine points, which led the team offensively. Fritz suffered an injury in the early second half and is currently in concussion protocol. 

Due to Northwest’s lack of size, there isn’t much room for the team to post up. This has shown throughout the season, as the Trappers have seemingly lived and died by the three.

“With how thin we are, we’re going to have to rely on making perimeter shots,” Collins said. “We also need to find easy twos, and there are lots of ways to do that.”

Now 0-4 in league play, the Trappers sit in the cellar of Region IX North. Still, Collins said his team is confident as it heads into the second half of region play, knowing that the Region IX tournament is ultimately more important than the regular season.

“From day one, we’ve had the mantra that not much matters until April 3,” Collins said. “Our guys believe that no matter what seed we get, we’re going to win on April 3.”

      

Western Wyoming 78, Northwest 71

Points — Jaren Fritz 20, Jerome Mabry 18, Hayden Peterson 16, Gabriel Gutierrez 6, Colton Thorness 6, Seyi Oyeku 2, Andre Loigu 2, Jahquel Goss 1;

Rebounds — Gutierrez 5, Oyeku 4, Mabry 4, Fritz 3, Peterson 1, Goss 1, Thorness 1;

Assists — Oyeku 12

    

Eastern Wyoming 79, Northwest 55

Points — Gutierrez 9, Mabry 9, Oyeku 9, Loigu 7, Jacob Schilder 6, Fritz 5, Goss 5, Peterson 3, Thorness 2;

Rebounds — Gutierrez 5, Mabry 4, Thorness 3, Peterson 2, Oyeku 2, Goss 2, Fritz 1, Mabry 1, Schilder 1

Northwest College, Trapper Basketball

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