Skylights land a pair of Montana standouts

Last week was a busy one for Montana State University-Northern head coach Chris Mouat, as he signed a pair of Montana basketball standouts.

Signing with the Skylights are Helena’s Kylie Lantz and Big Timber’s Sydney Prather.

Prather, a 5-10 guard, recently completed her sophomore season at Northwest College in Powell, Wyoming. This season, Prather averaged 8.6 points per game. She shot 38 percent from the field and 74 percent from the free throw line. She scored a season-high 20 points against Central Wyoming College. For her efforts, she was named to the All-Region IX Team.

During the 2019-2020 season, Prather played at Gillette College for former Skylight assistant coach Liz Lewis. Gillette finished the season ranked 21st in the nation with an overall record of 28-5. Prather averaged 12.7 points and 7.6 rebounds per game while shooting 46 percent from the field and 37 percent from the 3-point line. She scored over 20 points in a game five different times, and her 7.6 rebounds per game were tops in the Region IX North Conference. In addition, she was named to the All-Tournament Team at the 2020 Region IX Tournament.

“We are really excited about Sydney. She is a hard-nosed, tough player with a very good understanding of the game,” Mouat said. “She’s capable of stretching defenses with her range from the 3-point line, and she does an outstanding job on the boards at both ends.”

Prather played high school basketball at Sweet Grass County in Big Timber for former Skylight Kim (Fike) Finn. She was a four-year varsity player and three-year starter for the Herders. As a senior, she was a First Team All-State selection, and as a junior she was named First Team All-Conference.

“Sydney is a great fit for us,” Mouat said. “She loves the game and is passionate about getting better all of the time. We are looking forward to her future in a Skylight uniform.”

Prather plans on majoring in elementary education at MSU-Northern. She is the daughter of Gilbert and Amber Prather.

Lantz, meanwhile, comes to Northern from Helena High where she was a two-year starter for the Bengals. This season, the 5-9 Lantz averaged 8.4 points, 3.3 rebounds, and nearly 2 assists per game.

“We are really excited to have Kylie on board. She does a lot of things well and is a very good athlete,” Mouat said. “Kylie played really well in the HIT Tournament up here. She got after it, hit big shots and earned a spot on the all-star team in the process. She will be a great fit in our program and I feel like she's just going to get better and better.”

Lantz was a two-year starter at Helena High School and was a team captain this season, earning second team All-Conference honors. She was also a member of the Bengals varsity volleyball team.

“Kylie has had a very good career at Helena High,” Mouat said. “She has been well-coached along the way and I am looking forward to her future as a student-athlete at MSU-Northern.”

Lantz plans on majoring in education at MSU-Northern. She carries a 3.2 grade point average and is the daughter of Jarrett Lantz.