By Rob Everingham
It's time for tip-off.
The Lights' basketball team heads to Dillon this weekend for the Western Montana College Tournament.
Northern will be joined by Carroll College, Western and Westminster.
Currently, the Lights sit atop the Frontier Conference with a 9-2 record. Carroll is second, while Western and Westminster rest at the bottom of the conference.
The games this weekend will not count toward the conference record, but they will give the Lights a feel for some of the conference teams.
Northern has started the 1999-2000 season on fire, as they lead the league in team scoring with 83.6 points per game. The Lights also lead the conference in field goal percentage, shooting 47.9 percent. Northern also leads in 3-point percentage with 38.6 percent.
On an individual basis, the Lights' Mel Stubblefield leads the conference in assists with 59 in 10 games. Stubblefield is also second in the league in 3-point percentage and in steals.
Northern's Keith Carothers leads the Frontier Conference in total points, scoring 202 thus far, but is fourth overall in points per game with 18.4 on average.
The Lights have been off since Dec. 3 and 4, when they played in a Winnipeg Tournament and split wins that weekend.
Northern gets back into the swing of things now as they play this weekend. They have Christmas off, but play Dec. 28 and Dec. 30 in California.
