Missouri Western outlasts Northwest Missouri State in rivalry clash
By Calvin Silvers
This past weekend, rivals took center stage on Division I football fields across the country. Entering Tuesday, that same fierce competitive spirit leaked onto the Division II basketball level as area fans caught an early-season showdown between the Missouri Western Griffons and the Northwest Missouri State Bearcats.
Western opened MIAA play with a statement, defeating the No. 9-ranked Bearcats, 57-48, a dominant first quarter and standout performances propelled the Griffons to victory on their rival’s home court.
“We’re just proud of ourselves,” junior Marie Sepp said. “We wanted to come here and win on their home court. I feel like that’s a big thing, and of course, starting off the conference with a win is like a big deal for us, so hopefully only good things from this point on.”
The Griffons wasted no time establishing control, surging to a commanding 22-4 lead in the first quarter, fueled by stifling defense and sharp execution in transition. Griffons’ Alyssa Bonilla led the charge, scoring 21 first-half points on 9-of-12 shooting and adding eight rebounds and four steals.
“It was definitely our defense,” Sepp said. “So if we get our defense, we get stops in transition, offense is our game, so I guess that’s what kind of happened, we just got stops and we were able to run and kind of play our game.”
Northwest battled back in the second quarter, cutting the deficit to single digits after Caely Kesten hit a three-pointer in transition. By halftime, the Bearcats had clawed back 34-21, with Kesten and Lindsey Kelderman combining for 16 of Northwest’s points.
The Bearcats carried their momentum into the second half, cutting the gap to one point late in the third quarter on the back of a 10-0 run. Kesten and Evelyn Vazquez orchestrated the comeback, but the Griffons refused to fold under the home pressure.
“Just stick together, grind this one out,” Sepp said. “We know basketball is a game of runs, so we knew they were going to go on a run, so it’s just grinding this one out and sticking together and just defense.”
Bonilla sealed the game in the fourth quarter, finishing with a game-high 28 points, 11 rebounds, and five steals.
“You’re going to be one of the best in the country,” Griffon head coach Ashton Feldhaus said on Bonilla. “She doesn’t believe that yet, but every single day, I’m like, ‘No, you can do that too,’ so she’s like checking these little mental boxes, like, ‘Yeah, okay, maybe I am as good as coach is telling me.’”
The Bearcats struggled offensively, shooting a season-low 36% from the floor and leaving points at the free-throw line, converting only seven of 17 attempts. Missouri Western, on the other hand, shot 40.8% and went 13-for-19 from the stripe, showing poise down the stretch.
“I couldn’t be more proud of our group,” Feldhaus said. “A small group with only ten, but so, so proud of them. You know, you talk about Northwest, they’re a good team, probably a great team, to be honest, but we just told our kids, you know, we got that big early lead…I thought, yeah, they made us play their pace at times, but we made them do things that were uncomfortable for them just the same.”
