Lights' senior trio hoping for a big night

The Montana State University-Northern Lights have a split so far this season with the University of Providence Argos. So it goes without saying that the rubber match between the Lights and Argos is a big one.

But given the circumstances inside the Armory Gymnasium tonight, the game also figures to be an emotional one. Tonight, the Lights (7-9, 17-11) honor their three seniors before the start of their final home game of the season, as they take on the Argos (5-11, 11-15) at 8 in the Armory.

Northern, which is fifth in the Frontier standings, is in a race with Rocky Mountain College, a squad the Lights just beat last Saturday night, for the No. 4 seed and a home game in the upcoming Frontier playoffs. So the last two games are huge for the Lights, but tonight's final home game of at least the regular season is certainly a big one.

Northern takes on its biggest rival, on senior night. Enough said.

"This is an important night for us," MSU-N head coach Shawn Huse said. "These seniors have played an integral part, in their own ways, towards our success."

Northern will say goodbye to three seniors tonight, in Ryan Reeves, Charles Porter and Cayeveoon "Paco" Jones. Jones is the newest addition to the Lights, coming to Northern just this season from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Jones, at 6-5, has bolstered the Lights' depth in the interior, and all season long has been a spark plug off the bench.

Porter has been at Northern for the last two seasons. The 6-2 guard from Las Vegas came to MSU-N from Umpqua Community College where he was an All-Conference performer. In his final season as a Light, Porter is having a breakout year, averaging 11 points and four rebounds per game. He's shot the ball well from the outside this season, but it's his driving ability that has made him a dangerous weapon in MSU-N's offense. He's also an excellent defender and is exciting to watch in the open floor.

Then there's Reeves, the 6-10 senior from Wrangell, Alaska. He's had a remarkable career at Northern, which includes winning the Frontier Defensive Player of the Year in 2017. He's also a returning All-Conference standout, who's leading the Lights at 15 points and nine rebounds per game. He also leads the NAIA in blocks per game at four and total blocks with 99. Reeves also shoots 60 percent from the field, which is 11th in the NAIA, and he's 13th in the country with 231 total rebounds. It's been a remarkable final season to a remarkable career for the big man.

And all three of Northern's seniors are remarkable people as well.

"We have a high-character, fun team to coach, and that is in large part because this trio has provided remarkable leadership, work ethic, fearlessness and fight each and every day in their preparation," Huse said.

Of course, Northern won't want to let the emotions of senior night get in the way of a much-needed good performance. The Lights are playing well, and showed that with their gritty win over Rocky last Saturday night. They also played well against No. 6 Carroll College in a close loss. Before that, Northern had suffered back-to-back two-point losses on the road, so it goes without saying that the Lights are on the verge of big things, but in order to keep that going and set themselves up for a run in the Frontier playoffs, they need to take care of the Argos at home - a squad they beat in Havre in early January but lost to in Great Falls two weeks later. So tonight's third meeting is a big one for the Lights.

"We've been playing good basketball for a long period of time," coach Huse said, "So I'm really happy for our guys that they finally have something to show for it. They work very hard, and prepare for every game extremely hard."

And now, with one last game in the Armory, for the regular season anyway, the Lights aren't just hoping to keep winning, they're hoping to make it a night their three seniors will never forget.

"I cannot say enough good things about these three," Huse said. "They will definitely be missed."

Tonight's game between the Lights and Argos tips at 8 inside the Armory. Northern plays at Montana Tech to finish the regular season Friday.