Former Bulldog helps MSU Northern post win streak

SANDPOINT — Former Sandpoint basketball standout Ben Mitchell scored a season-high 17 points recently to help the Montana State Northern Lights earn a 60-57 win over Westminster in a Frontier Conference men’s basketball game.

Mitchell, a 6-4 senior forward, made six of nine field goal attempts and scored all 17 points in just 18 minutes of action.

On the season, Mitchell has played in 26 games and made 43 of 85 field goal attempts, 23 of 28 free throws and made six of his 20 attempts from beyond the arc. The Lights (24-6) are now ranked No. 21 in the NAIA poll, and are the No. 1 seed in the Frontier Conference tournament, which tipped off Tuesday night.

The Lights will face Montana Tech in the playoff opener, looking to extend a current four game win streak. Mitchell’s big night off the bench against Westminster helped the Lights earn a road sweep along with Lewis-Clark, helping build momentum coming into the tournament.

“It’s hard to emphasize just how big sweeping Westminster and L-C on the road was,” Northern head coach Shawn Huse said. “Very few Montana teams have ever done it, and for these guys to go do it on the last weekend of the regular season, it’s just flat-out impressive.”