Lights need wins against Argos, Saints

The Montana State University-Northern Lights have already played some tough, hard-fought games against the University of Great Falls Argos and the Carroll College Fighting Saints. But, with the new Frontier schedule, the Lights get to do it one more time.

Northern (4-10, 15-11) finally returns home from a six-game road trip, and the Lights get to play their last four games of the Frontier Conference regular season, starting Thursday night with a rubber-match against UGF (3-11, 10-13). The Lights also host nationally ranked Carroll 11-3, 18-6) on Friday night.

And both games are huge for the Lights, who are coming off a sweep at UM-Western and Rocky Mountain College last weekend. MSU-N is fighting with UGF, especially to lock up a Frontier postseason berth, and a win over the Argos Thursday night would go a long way toward doing that.

If the Lights are going to jump on the winning track however, they’ll need to up their consistency. All season, MSU-N has been excellent defensively, especially at home. But, the Lights have been streaking offensively. Northern is averaging 78 points per game, but is dead last in the Frontier in shooting. The lights are shooting just 44 percent from the floor. The 3—point-line, always one of Northern’s bread and butter shots, has also been a mixed bag this season. The Lights come into Thursday’s game shooting 38 percent from beyond the arc, with Tyler Chandler, Warren Edmondson and Trevail Lee, MSU-N’s top 3-point shooters. Those three are also part of a foursome that includes senior KJ Rech, who are averaging nine or more points per game, with Edmondson leading the way at 13 per night.

“We know we are capable, and actually still feel our best, most complete basketball can be ahead if we just hang in there and keep fighting,” MSU-N head coach Shawn Huse said. “There are adjustments left to make. We know if we make those and keep concentrating on improvement, we can still make noise in the league this year."

And the Lights will certainly be in for a fight over these next two games.

Thursday night’s bout with UGF is a winner-take-all game in the series. The Argos won in Havre by one point last month, while the Lights closed out January with a dominating win in Great Falls. In fact, UGF’s win in Havre in early January was only one of two wins the Argos have posted since.

Even though UGF brings a six-game losing streak to Havre, the Argos are still a dangerous team, led by the athletic Sigman Farmer III, who leads the team at nine points and seven rebounds per game. Darren Lockett, who scored 25 against the Lights in Havre, Daniel Arceau and Sergio Berkley also each average around eight points a game for a UGF squad that’s last in the Frontier on scoring and field goal offense. Like Northern, UGF is thought in the top half of the Frontier in scoring defense, and the rivalry is usually a defensive struggle.

Carroll, ranked No. 15 in the NAIA also has a top-notch defense which allows less than 70 points per game. But, the Saints don’t have to worry about offense either, as they score nearly 80 per night. Head coach Carson Cunningham’s team also rolls into the Armory Gymnasium Friday night having already beaten the Lights twice, 72-69 in Havre and 83-77 in Helena last month.

The Saints, who are fighting for a Frontier regular season championship, have some of the top offensive weapons in the league, including senior points guard Zach Taylor, who averages 17 points per game and is the Frontier’s top 3-point shooter. But, freshman Match Burnham and senior Ryan Imhoff also give Carroll another 25 points per night, while athletic players like Oliver Carr, Matt Wyman and Jake Holifield, give the Saints one of the most talented lineups in the Frontier, and make them a handful to guard, even for a great defense like the Lights possess.

That’s the story for Northern this weekend. The Lights are happy to be home, but are also facing two very talented and athletic teams for the third time. So both games should be great ones.

"Our first two games were good battles with both these squads,” Huse said of the Saints and Argos.” “They each present different challenges but have shown they are able to play at a high level in this tough league. We know we are capable of having success at home, but it will take hard work and good preparation to make it happen."

The Lights will host UGF at 8 p.m. Thursday night and Carroll College at 8 p.m. Friday night, with both games inside the Armory Gymnasium.

Lights vs UGF, Thursday, 8 p.m.; vs No. 15 Carroll, Friday, 8 p.m.

In Armory Gymnasium

Radio: 92.5 KPQX

Streaming: msun.edu/athletics

Twitter: HavreDaily

Lights Projected Starters

G Trevail Lee, 5-9, Sr., 10 ppg

G Warren Edmondson, 6-2, Sr., 12 ppg

F Ryan Reeves 6-10, So., 6 ppg

F David Straughter, 6-5, Jr., 10 ppg

F K.J. Rech, 6-6, Sr., 9 ppg