Throwback night in the Armory

Once upon a time, the Northern Montana College Lights had a great rivalry with not one, but two basketball teams in Billings. And while the rivalry between Montana State University-Northern and Rocky Mountain College flourishes to this day, the days of the Lights doing battle with Eastern Montana College are long gone.

However, tonight will be a throwback for Northern fans, and especially for fans of the original Frontier Conference as the now Montana State University-Billings Yellowjackets are coming to the Armory Gymnasium. MSU-B, formerly EMC when it was a member of the Frontier, will take on the Lights tonight at 7 in what is the season-opener for the Yellowjackets.

 "I know I speak for our fans as well as our team, when I say we appreciate them (Yellowjackets) coming up to play us here in Havre," Northern head coach Shawn Huse exclaimed.

MSU-B, now a member of the NCAA Division II Great Northwest Athletic Conference, hasn't been inside the Armory since the 1996 season. In fact, the Yellowjackets have rarely played at any Frontier gym, other than Rocky's Fortin Center since they left the Frontier nearly 15 years ago. So tonight's trip to Havre is special for everyone involved.

But sentiment aside, it's also a big game, especially for the No. 24 Lights, who are off to a perfect 5-0 start. Tonight's game is the first of two meetings between the Lights and Yellowjackets, and while MSU-B won't count tonight's game towards its season record, Northern will. The roles will be reversed when Northern makes the return trip to Billings later this month.

And even though the Yellowjackets are playing tonight's game as an exhibition, it's still their season-opener and they won't take the Lights lightly.

"They come off of some really good seasons in Coach (Jamie) Stevens' young career at MSU-B," Huse said. "We will have our work cut out for us on both ends of the floor, just as all of the tough non-conference opponents we face this year."

Indeed. The Yellowjackets are loaded with talent, though they slumped to a 16-14 record and a fourth-place finish in the GNAC a year ago, and are picked to finish seventh in the conference this season. MSU-B returns 6-2 guard Devon Wallace, as well as 6-3 sharpshooter Danny Desin. MSU-B also has a host of talented newcomers, including 6-6 forward Jonathan Mesghna, a transfer from Maine University, as well as junior college transfer Connor Donaldson, who put up big numbers a year ago at Everett Community College.

The Yellowjackets have some names that will be familiar to local fans as well. Red-shirt freshman Jace Anderson was a star guard at Whitewater, while true freshman sharp shooter Kendall Denham was a four-time Class B All-State standout at Malta, and the younger brother of former Skylight star Kylee Denham. Both former prep standouts are expected to see playing time tonight, and both were heavily recruited by Huse while in high school. Point guard Kalob Hatcher (5-11) and 6-4 swingman Jordan Perry are two more exciting players to watch and they are part of what is a young, but very deep MSU-B roster.

"They (Jackets) will be very formidable on both ends," Huse said. "They like to run the break, get up and down the floor offensively. So that will really test our transition defense. They are primarily a man-to-man defensive team and they have a lot of quickness and size. They will be a huge test for our team on both ends of the floor."

Northern passed a big test last Saturday night when the Lights beat a powerful Lethbridge club, 75-73 on the Pronghorn's home floor. Over two wins last weekend, senior Alfie Miller and junior Nicholas Blount were very productive offensively, and together they lead the Lights in scoring. Seniors Will Perry and Jesse Vaughan and junior Corbin Pearson have also gotten off to a strong start this season, and they'll be counted on tonight to try and guard the bigger and more physical Yellowjackets in the paint.

And that's what tonight is all about, Northern stepping up to the next challenge in what is still a young season. There will be a bit of nostalgia in the air with MSU-B playing in Havre for the first time in 16 years, but more so, fans will be treated to a high level of college basketball and the rare opportunity to see the Lights in a play-up game at home.

And for Huse's team, it's another opportunity to not only improve, but to see exactly what the team is made of as the Lights take on one of the best opponents they've seen in quite some time.

"Anytime you face a D1 or D2 NCAA opponent, it is a challenge," Huse said. "At the same time, it is exciting to have the opportunity to face someone from the next rung up, especially in our gym. So we're very excited to have this opportunity and we're looking forward to seeing what we can do against a quality program like MSU-B."

Tonight's game between the Lights and Yellowjackets will tip off at 7 inside the Armory Gymnasium. Northern will play at MSU-B Nov. 22.