Lights return to the hardwood

The Montana State University-Northern men's basketball team opened its season last month with a resounding win over the Yellowstone Christian Centurions. But, two weeks have passed since that game, and the Lights are certainly itching to get back on the court.

Northern (1-0) will get that chance with two games at this weekend's UGF Classic in Great Falls. The Lights will play Oak Hills Christian College Friday and Shepherd University on Saturday in a pair of non-conference bouts in Great Falls.

And for Lights' head coach Shawn Huse, the games will be about his team's progression, as much as they will be about the opponents. Northern looked stout in its 93-62 win over Yellowstone Christian back on Oct. 21, but Huse says his team is still a young one, and the progress continues.

"It will take time for us to find our identity as a team," Huse said before the season began. "We have a lot of guys back from last year, but, I still feel like we're pretty young, so each game is going to be a learning process for us, and that's why these early season games the first couple of months are so important."

Still, Northern looked very sharp in its season-opener, shooting over 50 percent from the field, scoring 90-plus points and holding the Centurions to under 40 percent from the field. The Lights also beat a tall Centurion team on the boards and committed just 11 turnovers.

Of course, having veterans helps with an otherwise young team, and leaders like point guard Badhasa Margarsa, star shooter Tyler Chandler and All-Conference standout David Straughter make a big difference. Northern's size is also making a big difference this season, especially 6-10 center Ryan Reeves, who came on strong last year, and is now one of the best big men in the Frontier Conference. Sophomore Justin Dunsmore also gives the Lights a big man who can play both inside and out, and senior William Walker adds another inside presence.

But even with all that size, the Lights will continue to do what they also do, and that's shoot the rock. Chandler is a known commodity from beyond the arc, but steadily improving junior Kevin Oberweiser, along with newcomers Charles Porter and Cameron Epps also give the Lights even more deep threats.

Depth is also playing a key role for the Lights thus far, and will again against its two opponents this weekend. Dylan Tatarka is a veteran bench player for the Lights, while redshirt freshman Devin Bray, Adam Huse and 6-10 Seth Christiaens will continue to see extensive minutes.

Northern returns to the court Friday afternoon against Oak Hills Christian and again Saturday afternoon against Shepherd. Both games will be played at UGF's McLaughlin Center. The Lights are then off again until they host New Hope Christian and Salish Kootenai College for their Thanksgiving Classic Nov. 25-26.