Skylights host Blue Hawks, Beavers

If a team can have a pair of nonconference rivals, to the Montana State University-Northern Skylights, the Dickinson State Blue Hawks and Minot State Beavers are it.

The three teams have combined to put on some great games over the last couple years, and they'll all renew that rivalry this weekend at the MSU-Northern Fieldhouse.

Today, the Skylights meet the Blue Hawks in a 1 p.m. game in Havre, and Northern welcomes in the Beavers Saturday at 5 p.m..

The Skylights (2-1) are coming off three games last weekend at home, but they are certainly expecting a step up in competition this weekend. MSU-N and DSU have waged some great battles on the court, including a pair of buzzer-beaters last year. Each team won on its home floor on a last-second 3-pointer in 2009.

"Dickinson State is a very athletic, quick team," MSU-N head coach Chris Mouat said. "They can all shoot the three and have shown the ability to put up a lot of points. One of the things that really stands out about them is how quick they play and how hard they play at both ends.

"We will need to do a much better job defensively," Mouat added. "We can't give up the kind of points we did to Northwest last weekend if we expect to be successful. This team can hurt you in a lot of ways and do so much off of dribble penetration. They are one of the more dangerous perimeter teams we'll see this season and their make-up causes some matchup problems for us."

The Skylights are bolstered by the play of senior guards Taylor Keller and Samm Schermele. Keller is averaging a whopping 24.2 points per game coming into the weekend. And like DSU, Northern is loaded on the outside, with sophomore guard Monica Hollowell already making a huge impact for the Skylights, as is a healthy Laramie Schwenke.

DSU (0-2) is led on the outside by Kylee Bittner who is averaging 18 points per contest, but the Hawks have a host of guards who can shoot. And with the addition of 6-0 center Mandy Mullock, the Blue Hawks are a very balanced team.

Balance is something Minot State will bring to Saturday's tilt with Northern.

The Beavers (1-1), like the Blue Hawks are a returning NAIA Division II national tournament team with great guards and plenty of talent.

The Beavers are led by Scarra Molina on the outside but forward Caroline Folven really makes MSU go. The 6-0 Folven is a handful on the inside, and makes MSU's deep roster of guards even that much better. Minot also has DSU transfer and former Malta all-state guard Kelly Pankratz on the roster for her senior season. And of course, the Beavers are coached by Northern Hall of Famer Sheila (Green) Gerding.

"Minot State is coming off of another national tournament appearance. Coach has done a great job there for years, and this year's team looks to be very good," Mouat said. "They return a lot of experience in the post with Caroline Folven, who has really developed into a great player during her career.

"We'll need to be very solid against Minot," he added. "They don't hurt themselves, and they have a good balance of scoring from the perimeter and in the post.

And the Skylights want to be solid. Especially because they turn around and play rematches against both DAC rivals on the road next weekend.

"Right now, we are just trying to get better every day," Mouat said. "Our kids have had a good week of practice and have taken to heart some things that happened last weekend. We know we'll have to continually get better throughout the course of the season, and that we are really a work in progress. The one thing that I really appreciate about this team is their willingness to give great effort, and we'll definitely need that both nights to be successful."

Today's game between Northern and Dickinson State tips off at 1 at the MSU-Northern Fieldhouse. The Skylights and Beavers tip off at 5 p.m. on Saturday.