BILLINGS — Paige Wasson has been quite a gift for the Rocky Mountain College women's basketball team.
The former two-time Class C state champion at North Country, a co-op made up of Saco, Whitewater and Hinsdale, has had an instant impact in the Battlin' Bears' starting lineup and has proven her ability to score.
"It's been different. It's a faster pace up in college, but I think I've handled it really well. My teammates have always been there supporting me and my coaches have helped me transition from small-town, Class C basketball to college basketball," said Wasson, a freshman averaging 11.2 points per game.
"She's very good with the basketball in her hands and she's very good off ball screens. We're trying to work her into things where she's coming off a high ball screen and making read-and-react plays and she's doing a nice job," Rocky head coach Wes Keller said.
Keller has found a few gems in northeast Montana over the years, but not many anywhere have won quite as much as Wasson did.
"(North Country head coach) Amber (Erickson) has done a phenomenal job. I like to get kids from winning programs. They definitely have a winning program up there," Keller said. "I think, I'm not sure, but (Wasson) may have lost just as many games here in Rocky at three as she did in her whole high school career."
Wasson is getting better day by day as she continues to adjust to the college game and the physicality that it brings.
"In the beginning I was a little timid scoring-wise, which wasn't a thing when I was in high school. I've learned my role and have been motivated by my coaches and told that I can do this and we expect this from you, and that's really helped me find my role as a player on this team," said Wasson.
Wasson hopes to bring some of that winning magic to the Rocky women as the Bears begin Frontier Conference play on Saturday versus Montana Tech.
