Skylights happy to be back in action

It's time to be on the road. The Montana State University-Northern men's and women's basketball teams are back at it this weekend, with Frontier Conference games at Carroll College.

For the Skylights (3-6, 4-9), it's a return to action as they saw their games at Providence canceled last week due to COVID-19 issues. And while Northern will still be short-handed this weekend, the Skylights are happy to be playing again, even if it's against the No. 6 team in the country.

"I'm thankful we get the opportunity to play," MSU-N head coach Chris Mouat said. "We've had plenty of time off and it's been a scramble trying to get back into the swing of things, but again, our kids have been resilient all year long. It's a heck of a challenge for us, but our kids will embrace the challenge and put our best foot forward."

Northern and Carroll met last month in the Armory Gymnasium, and the Fighting Saints did get out of Havre with a pair of wins. A month later, Carroll is now 9-1 in Frontier play, and full four games in front in the conference standings. Of course, former Havre Blue Pony Dani Wagner is a big reason why, as she averages 15 points per game. And yet, Carroll's depth is phenomenal, with the likes of Christine Denny, University of Montana transfer Jamie Pickens, and so many more outstanding players - it's no wonder the Saints are 15-2 overall and average 72 ppg, while winning league games by a 15-point margin.

"Carroll is a deep and talented team," Mouat said. "They've played extremely well this year and are very deserving of their national ranking. They have played a bunch of games and were able to get in a lot of non-conference games, so they are a seasoned, veteran group. They are one of the best rebounding teams in the nation, and really do a great job on the offensive boards. Defensively they are active at all times and do a really good job mixing man, zone and full-court pressure."

Still, the Skylights will no doubt fight. Veterans like Tiara Gilham and McKenzie Gunter, along with leading scorer Peyton Kehr know what it takes to win in the Frontier, something MSU-N did in a sweep at home against Rocky Mountain College two weeks ago.

The Northern men also swept Rocky two weeks ago, but unlike the Skylights, the Lights (5-5, 6-5) did play at Providence last week, where they were the first team to beat the Argos this season. Behind seniors David Harris and Mascio McCadney averaging 18 points a game each, and a healthy return of star forward Jesse Keltner, the Lights are hoping to make a February run, and it starts at Carroll.

That task won't be easy, though, as the Saints (8-4, 11-5) have been awfully good of late, led by point guard Shamrock Campbell and others. Still, Northern played Carroll close in two tough losses last month in the Armory, so, the Lights know they can play with Carroll, and they know they've gotten better since that first meeting, as well.

"I like where we are at overall, and I still feel we have a ways to go," MSU-N head coach Shawn Huse said. "This team has grown a great deal in our first month of competition together, which speaks to their character and how hard they have been working. We still know there's plenty of room for improvement so it's time to shift focus to the next ones and see how far we can go. Every week is another big challenge and we are excited to keep working together to meet it. I feel like our guys are extremely focused and playing hard for each other right now, so I am very excited about that."

The Skylights will play at Carroll Saturday night at 5 with the men to follow. Northern and the Fighting Saints will rematch Sunday with the women's game at 2 p.m. and the men to follow. MSU-N is back home next Wednesday night, hosting Providence.

The Montana State University-Northern volleyball team will also take to the road for the first time in the young spring season.

Northern head coach Jerry Wagner's team snapped a 31-match losing streak with a season-opening home win over Montana Western last Friday night, before eventually earning a split with the Bulldogs. The Skylights (1-1) were also short-handed for those matches but should return key players like Elissa Lind, Tammy Maddock and Shay Waldbillig this weekend as they head to Montana Tech.

The Skylights face the Orediggers (0-2) tonight at 7 and Saturday at 1 p.m. in Butte as they start a four-match road trip.