In a game designed to provide valuable minutes and experience to younger players on the team, the Weber State University’s men’s basketball team outscored the Eagles of West Coast Baptist College 110–45 on Nov. 14. The Wildcats are now 2–0 on the season.
Weber State never trailed in the contest, jumping out to a quick lead produced by solid defense and three-point play opportunities off of fouls. The ’Cats spread the ball around all night, as six Wildcat players scored in double figures.
Freshman guard Trevon Ary-Turner led Weber State with 22 points, hitting four of five three-point shot attempts in his 24 minutes on the court.
“It was just a good opportunity for a lot of us young guys to get in and get some opportunities to make plays,” Ary-Turner said. “The older guys got us off to a great start, got us a big lead so that we could go out there with no pressure and just have fun.”
Junior center Zach Braxton had another meaningful night for the Wildcats. He achieved a double-double with his 18 total points and 12 rebounds. As a leader on the team, he spoke to the importance of a game such as this for the team overall.
Braxton said, “It’s always good. Obviously you want to play, but I love watching these guys get out there. Tre shot the ball extremely well tonight. Everybody was moving the ball. We stuck with it the entire game and played as hard as we could the entire time.”
Freshman guard Riley Court also saw his first minutes as a Wildcat, recently returning from injury. Beyond his two points and seven rebounds, his teammates agreed that his energy was his biggest contribution for the team.
“He brings a ton of energy. He’s just like, ‘Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go, let’s go,'” Braxton said. “Having that energy is just really special to have from a freshman like that. It’s priceless. We need a guy like that and he’s filling his roll perfectly.”
Starting point guard Jerrick Harding had the most dominant stat line of the night, shooting 100 percent overall. He scored 17 total points on six made shots, including making all of his five free throw attempts.
Overall, the Wildcats out-rebounded the Eagles 47 to 33. What could have been the biggest difference in the game, the ’Cats scored 56 points off of the bench while West Coast Baptist only scored two.
Local standout and Ben Lomond High School alumnus, Brenden Morris made the most of his first minutes on the season, scoring 11 points and grabbing six rebounds.
Morris’s highlight of the game was when he drained a three-point shot directly in front of the Wildcat bench. His teammates erupted with excitement and cheers as they leapt to their feet.
Before they return home again, the Wildcats have the Island of the Bahamas Showcase. Head coach Randy Rahe spoke to the importance of these tournaments, as Weber State participates each and every year.
“These tournaments are invaluable to us. I love going, as you know we’ve been going every year, we’re going to continue to go,” Rahe said. “This is a tournament where they only take the top mid-major teams, so you’ve got to be a good team to be there. So, let’s go find out, let’s go compete our butts off and get after them, do it together, fight like crazy and see where we sit at the end of the three days.”
