Lights, Skylights on the road again

The first week of Frontier Conference play in January was vastly different for the Montana State University-Northern Lights and Skylights. But heading into week two, the Lights and Skylights have something very much in common - a brutally difficult road trip.

Tonight, both Northern hoops teams are in Lewiston, Idaho, to take on nationally ranked Lewis-Clark State. Northern will then wrap up the trip with Saturday showdowns at nationally ranked UM-Western.

For the Northern men, the trip is one in which the Lights (3-1, 13-3) are looking to keep their momentum going. Last week, they pulled off two hard-fought wins, a victory over arch rival Providence at home last Tuesday, and a road win at steadily-improving Montana Tech last Thursday night.

"We feel very good about where we're at right now," Northern head coach Shawn Huse said. "I feel like we're playing well, and we're playing together. That's a big key. This team has great chemistry."

The Lights are playing well, and are currently tied for first in the conference standings. They're second in the Frontier in scoring at 91 points per night, and are third in scoring defense, allowing just over 69 ppg. Northern is among the top teams in the NAIA in three-point shooting, and the Lights are extremely balanced offensively, with seven players averaging in double figures, led by senior Ryan Reeves, who's scoring 16 ppg, while leading the Frontier Conference in both rebounding and blocked shots. Gabe and Charles Porter and Adam Huse also each average 15 ppg, while Justin Dunsmore scores 12, and Caulin Bakalarski is averaging 10 and coming off Frontier Player of the Week honors.

But as much firepower as the Lights have, especially with Reeves showing real dominance in the paint, this weekend's trip will be Northern's toughest test yet.

Tonight, the Lights take on the 10th-ranked LC State Warriors (3-1, 14-2), who are coming off a road trip last week in which they lost at Rocky Mountain College, but came back to hand Carroll College its first loss of the season.

The Warriors, a perennial national tournament team, are led by a host of newcomers, including Dana Abe, Andre McGowan and Race Martin. They also, like the Lights, have five starters and two bench players averaging in double figures, and while they average 90 ppg, they are the Frontier's top defensive team.

"LC is very athletic and can score in every way possible," Huse said. "If they can turn teams over and attack in the open floor it can be a long night for their opposition. We are playing well together, but we know have to defend them and make ourselves some offensive opportunities if we are going to have success down there."

The Lights will also have to be defensive-minded when they travel to Dillon to battle 16th-ranked UM-Western Saturday night. The Bulldogs (2-2, 12-3) are averaging 100 ppg, and they always give Northern all it can handle. Star point guard Dom Robinson is scoring 20 points per night, while newcomer Brandon Jones is having a big impact on head coach Steve Keller's squad.

"They are very good at getting downhill on teams and making plays around the rim," Huse said of Western. "We need to be sharp with our transition and half-court defense, as well as our offensive execution, if we are going to come out on top in Dillon."

The Lights, who are in the midst of a five-game road swing, will need to be sharp both nights if they want to stay atop the Frontier standings. Tonight's game at LCSC tips off at 8:30, while Saturday night's game in Dillon kicks off at 7:30 p.m.

Skylights Look to Regroup

While the Northern men are riding a lengthy winning streak, the No. 21 Skylights (1-3, 9-6) are in uncharted territory heading into tonight's showdown with defending Frontier champion LC State. Northern has lost its last two Frontier games, and is currently in last place in the league standings.

Injuries have depleted the Skylight's depth, especially in last week's losses to Providence and Montana Tech, but head coach Chris Mouat said his team has worked hard this week and is moving forward.

"Last week was tough," Mouat said. "We didn't play our best. But I'm just really proud of this team and the way they went right back to work. They know why we are where we are, and they know what they need to do going forward. They're very focused on improving, and that's been our goal all along. But they also know, we're playing two very good teams this week, and we've got to put our very best foot forward."

Good teams indeed. Tonight, the Skylights face an angry LCSC (2-2, 11-4) squad, which lost at both Rocky and Carroll last week. And yet, the No. 7 Warriors are as talented as any team in the Frontier, led by star forward Brittany Tackett, among many others who return from last year's national championship game appearance.

"We're walking into a hornet's nest," Mouat said. "They (Warriors) don't lose two games in a row in conference very often. I can't even remember the last time that happened. So we know they'll be ready. They are talented, athletic, and coach Orr has had them remain as one of the premier NAIA programs in the country for a long time now. They have great competitors, and they'll be ready to get after us.

"But we have great competitors, too," he continued. "We have kids who will fight hard. We'll see the character we have on our team, because we're kind of in a hole right now, and I know these kids will fight hard to get out of it. I believe in each and every one of them, and they'll put their best foot forward in Lewiston."

The Skylights, led by veterans Jacy Thompson, Brandy Lamboure and Peyton Filius, as well as sophomore Shiloh McCormick, also have some added help with the insertion of former Browning star Tiara Gilham, who sat out the first half of the season. Gilham provides depth in the post, but Northern will also have its hands full, not only in Lewiston tonight, but in Dillon Saturday night.

Western (1-3, 11-5) is ranked No. 10 in the country and, like both Northern and LCSC, is coming off tough losses last week. So the Bulldogs, too, will be ready to bounce back when the Skylights come to town Saturday night, and star guard Brianna King will be a matchup problem for the Skylights, as she is for every team in the conference.

"Western has had some great wins this year, huge wins," Mouat said. "And they went to the Sweet 16 last year and have a lot of experience back from that team. So we know how good they are. Coach Wooley has just done an amazing job with that program. And now, with the addition of Bri King, they're even more dangerous. We know we're going to get their very best effort on Saturday."

But the Bulldogs and Warriors will get the best from the Skylights, too. Northern may be banged up right now, but the Skylights also know how to fight, and with their trademark defense, they'll do everything they can to bounce back on the road this weekend, even against two nationally ranked rivals.

"We know we have to play better," Mouat said. "We have to shoot it better and be better on the boards. Our kids know this. We have great leadership, and we'll lean on that. They'll keep at it, keep working. We know this trip is going to be a tough one, we're playing two really good teams. But our kids will give their very best effort in both games."

Tonight's game between the Skylights and Warriors tips at 6:30 in Lewiston. Saturday's game against Western gets underway at 5:30 p.m. in Dillon. Northern also travels to Great Falls for a rematch with Providence next Wednesday.