After the MSU-Northern Skylights basketball season ended, New Media Broadcasters was able to talk with head coach Chris Mouat about the end of his latest campaign.
He first started by breaking down the film of the Rocky Mountain loss in the semifinals of the Frontier Conference basketball tournament.
“I thought they wore us down a little bit inside. Their post players had nice games,” Mouat said. “I thought we did a really good job on the boards throughout the game.”
“At the end of the day, we also stopped scoring,” Mouat continued. “We missed quite a few (shots) in the fourth quarter and that allowed them to gap us a little bit.”
“It was disappointing, but at the same time, I’m really proud,” Mouat said.
The Northern season ended with some history after the Skylights broke a four-year drought at the tournament by winning a contest, which was an upset victory over Montana Tech in the first round. They also swept Montana Western this season. What coach Mouat will take away from his group is that determination they shared on the court, not coming close to folding in the most adverse times.
“The kids never quit on each other. They never quit on me,” Mouat said. “For us to go into the tournament and get a first-round win was gratifying for me (and) for the kids.”
“This team’s legacy will be that they played their best basketball in the end,” Mouat continued. “We had eight brand new kids this year and five returners. That’s a different mix.”
“I couldn’t be more pleased with the chemistry, the leadership, (and) the things that this team brought to the table from day one,” Mouat said. “They got along. They cared about each other, and they played for us.”
The Skylights are already retooling for 2025-26 and will look to replenish after losing five seniors off this year’s team to graduation. The full conversation with coach Mouat is available on HiLineToday.com in the “Sports Podcasts” tab.
