Skylights ready for a postseason run

The Montana State University-Northern Skylights know exactly what the UM-Western Bulldogs are capable of. They've already seen it three times this season. Tonight, the Skylights get to see it one more time.

And yet, Northern (11-19) is excited to go into Straugh Gymnasium and try and knock off an NAIA Top 15 team - and do it in the Frontier Conference playoffs, no less. Northern is in Dillon tonight to face the second-seeded and 15th-ranked Dawgs (23-7) in a Frontier quarterfinal game, which tips at 7.

"This is a big game for us and one we are excited about," MSU-N head coach Chris Mouat said. "We just need to go in there and play hard and smart for 40 minutes."

The seventh-seeded Skylights should be excited, because they go into the Frontier playoffs as a team with nothing to lose. After a rough conference season, the Skylights in a the spoiler role this week - and on top of that, they have some much-needed confidence after closing out the regular season with a road win at Montana Tech last Friday night.

"I'm just proud of our kids and their ability to bounce back from what was a really tough loss Wednesday," Mouat said after the Skylights blitzed the Orediggers. "They didn't let it sink us. Instead they came out with a pretty complete effort. It was great to see everyone contribute to a big win. And the reality is we made shots. That has hurt us too many times, and tonight we made a ton of big ones when we needed them the most. It was a great win for our kids."

Northern though, will need to make shots against a Western squad that has beaten the Skylights three times already, and, one that allows just 55 points per game. So, to crack that tough Western defense, the Skylights will rely on veterans Brandy Lambourne and sharp-shooting Peyton Filius, as well as stellar sophomore Shiloh McCormick. That trio averages nearly 37 ppg. But MSU-N will also go inside, and the steady of play of Kealani Sagapolu, as well as the emergence of freshman Tiara Gilham, give the Skylights an excellent punch in the paint.

However, waiting on the other end is a Western team that's not only good on defense, but explosive offensively. Of course, the Dawgs are paced by junior point guard Bri King, who leads the Frontier in scoring at just over 18 points per night. But, the Bulldogs also have weapons across the board, including Ciera Lamey and Britt Cooper, who are excellent inside-out players.

"Western is a very good team, and they're playing as well as anyone in the conference right now," Mouat said. "They have won 12 of their last 13 games, and they've really benefitted from moving to a 4-guard lineup.  They have a bunch of kids who can shoot the three, and Bri King is one of the best point guards in the nation.  She can do it all, and is tough to defend.  They do a nice job mixing their defenses and have been playing really well at the defensive end.  As a team, they are tough on the boards at both ends. Britt Cooper has become one of the better post players in our league and a great offensive rebounder. Western has a ton of depth and keep good players coming at you."

The Dawgs are loaded. But, Northern is a team that literally no one in the Frontier wanted to have to play in the first round of the playoffs. The Skylights come into tonight's game with plenty of firepower of their own, and, a chance to put the entire last two months behind them. A win tonight would keep their season going, and from there, anything is possible.

"The kids have worked really hard, they've stayed the course," Mouat said. "They've never thrown in the towel, not for one minute. I'm really proud of them for that. So tonight, We need to do a good job on the defensive end and on the boards.  We also need to take better care of the basketball than we did the last time we played.  They converted our turnovers into a lot of points, which really hurt us. "

Tonight's Frontier playoff game between the Skylights and Bulldogs tips at 7 in Dillon. The winner advances to Saturday night's semifinals.