Saints, Argos best Skylights to end the regular season

As the regular season ends, the Montana State University-Northern Skylights basketball team had ambitions to end the tough latter half of the season with some wins over the Carroll College Fighting Saints and the University of Providence Argos last weekend.

Unfortunately, the Skylights were swept after losing to the nationally ranked Saints Friday in the Carroll PE Center, 65-39 and then the Argos 82-55 Saturday in the McLaughlin Center in Great Falls. The once-ranked Northern team will now have to fight through a tough path in the postseason.

Friday’s game against Carroll College opened good for the Skylights, with Peyton Kehr and Sydney Hovde added some baskets, but Sienna Swannack and Havre-native Danielle Wagner went to work to help push the Saints ahead, while Kenya Lorton and Ryley Kehr tried to answer back, but Providence led 13-8 after the first quarter.

Jaidyn Lyman and Emerald Toth continued the push for Carroll, with Hovde and Allix Goldhahn working to answer with some buckets. Both teams missed quite a few shots after that, but Northern managed to cut the Saints’ lead to 23-17 at halftime.

The second half would be a lot of Carroll baskets, with Wagner and Swannack taking the helm once again. The Saints rushed ahead with multiple buckets to lead big 51-23 over the Skylights after the third period. As the fourth stanza went on, Carroll continued to drive ahead, while Morgan Mason, Ryley Kehr, Lorton and Jada Nicholson added some points as the bout ended.

Hovde led the Skylights with nine points against Carroll College, with Peyton Kehr close behind with seven points.

The loss to the Saints was a tough one for Northern, but the Skylights were hit even harder by Providence in Great Falls.

The Argos started the match tough, with Emilee Maldonado sinking a 3-pointer, while Goldhahn responded with a trey herself. Northern tied the score a couple times, but Bailey Cartwright and Maldonado kept trucking for Providence to lead the Skylights 22-13 after one.

Cartwright and Parker Esary drove the Argos further into the lead with quite a few field goals, while Lorton and Peyton Kehr tried to keep Northern close, but Jenna Randich sunk a three to keep Providence ahead 41-25 going into the break.

After the intermission, Lorton and Reilly Walsh battled with Cartwright and Randich, but the Argos held the Skylights at bay throughout the second half to win big, while Northern closes its tough season with a rough ending. Northern was led by Lorton with 15 points and Peyton Kehr put up 13 to follow.

Next up, MSU-Northern heads into the Frontier Conference playoffs, where the Skylights (15-15 4-14) will play against the University of Montana Western in Dillon to open the postseason this week.

Carroll College 65, Skylights 39

CC 13 10 28 14 - 65

MSU-Northern 8 9 5 17 - 39

CC - Sienna Swannack 8-9 5-5 21, Kamden Hilborn 3-6 3-6 9, Emerald Toth 2-4 0-0 8, Danielle Wagner 2-9 0-6 4, Christine Denny 3-7 1-2 7, Jaidyn Lyman 3-7 1-3 7, Emma Madsen 2-2 0-0 5, Maddie Geritz 1-4 0-1 2, Erica Nessan 1-1 0-0 2. Totals: 25-61 10-26.

MSU-N - Peyton Kehr 2-10 0-3 7, Sydney Hovde 2-6 0-0 9, Allix Goldhahn 2-9 0-4 4, Kenya Lorton 2-9 1-5 5, Morgan Mason 0-2 0-1 4, Ryley Kehr 2-4 1-1 6, Hailey Nicholson 1-4 0-0 2, Jada Nicholson 1-2 0-0 2. Totals: 12-51 2-15.

3-pointers: CC 10-26 (Swannack 5, Hilborn 3, Denny 1, Lyman 1), MSU-N 2-15 (R. Kehr 1, Lorton 1). Rebounds: CC 39 (Swannack 8, Hilborn 3, Toth 6, Wagner 2, Taylor Salonen 3, Denny 4, Lyman 1, Madsen 3, Geritz 3, Nessan 1, Molly McDermott 2, Team 3), MSU-N 35 (Hovde 9, P. Kehr 1, R. Kehr 2, Goldhahn 3, Reilly Walsh 2, Lorton 4, Mason 1, H. Nicholson 5, J. Nicholson 2, Team 6). Fouls: CC 19, MSU-N 13. Fouled out: none.

Providence 82, Skylights 55

Providence 22 19 22 19 - 82

MSU-Northern 13 12 17 13 - 55

UP - Emilee Maldonado 6-13 4-6 22, Bailey Cartwright 8-13 2-3 20, Jenna Randich 7-13 4-10 18, Parker Esary 7-10 0-0 17, Kenedy Cartwright 2-5 1-2 5. Totals: 30-59 11-24.

MSU-N - Peyton Kehr 5-13 2-4 13, Sydney Hovde 2-7 0-0 9, Allix Goldhahn 2-3 1-1 6, Kenya Lorton 4-12 0-3 15, Ryley Kehr 1-7 0-2 4, Reilly Walsh 1-3 0-0 3, Hailey Nicholson 1-5 0-0 2, Jada Nicholson 1-1 0-0 2, Morgan Mason 0-3 0-0 1. Totals: 17-56 3-11.

3-pointers: PROV 11-24 (Maldonado 4, B. Cartwright 2, Randich 4, K. Cartwright 1), MSU-N 3-11 (P. Kehr 2, Goldhahn 1). Rebounds: PROV 28 (Maldonado 5, B. Cartwright 8, Randich 4, Esary 6, K. Cartwright 2, Kerstyn Pimperton 1, Brittant White 1, Elly Teske 1), MSU-N 32 (P. Kehr 5, Hovde 7, R. Kehr 5, Walsh 2, Lorton 5, H. Nicholson 4, J. Nicholson 1, Mason 3). Fouls: PROV 19, MSU-N 10. Fouled out: none.