Montana State University-Northern Women’s Basketball Coach Chris Mouat has announced the signing of Jefferson County High School standout Jordan Powers.  Powers, a 6’0” forward, will be a senior for the Panthers this season and will join the Skylight program in the 2012-2013 season.

Mouat said, “Jordan has been a regular at our camps at MSU-Northern and we’ve seen her for six years at camps in Boulder.  She has developed into a very good player and one that we feel very fortunate to land before her senior season starts.  She is a great addition to our program and has the potential to be an impact player in our league with continued improvement.”

Last season, Powers scored 12 points and grabbed 7 rebounds per game, while shooting nearly 70% from the foul line.  She has been a two-time all-conference selection in basketball and track and field.  She has been a three-year letter winner in basketball, volleyball, and track and field.

Off the court, Powers has been active in ambulance and law enforcement reserves-in-training, and she has participated in Mariah’s Challenge activities.  She will be attending EMT training this winter.

Mouat said, “Jordan is very familiar with our program and knows our players and coaches well.  She has a huge upside, and I believe unlimited potential at a couple of positions on the floor.  She runs the court well, has great hands, plays hard, and finishes.  She plays well with her back to the basket and can step out and shoot the perimeter shot.  To top it off, she is very passionate about the game and about being a Skylight.  Her high school career has been good to this point, but I feel like she’s going to turn a lot of heads this winter.  She has just come a long way and seems to get better all of the time.”

Powers plans on majoring in business at MSU-Northern.  She is the daughter of Lee and Heather Powers.

JORDAN POWERS

Montana State University-Northern women’s basketball coach Chris Mouat has announced the signing of Chinook guard Taryn Norby.  Norby, a 5’7” guard, is a 4-year starter for the Sugarbeeters, a two-time All-Conference  selection, and an All-State honoree as a junior.  She currently averages 15 points, 6 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 2.5 steals per game.  She is shooting 45% from the 3-point line.

Mouat said, “Taryn has had a very good career at Chinook, and is having a great senior season.  She has the ability to stretch the defense with her three-point range and is a tough-minded defender.  She is also a top-notch student in the classroom.  She is a quality student-athlete from the Hi-Line area, and we look forward to her progress in a Skylight uniform.”

Norby holds a number of all-time records at Chinook High School including single game assists (9), and three-point field goals made in a game (5).  She is also the career leader for three-pointers made.  She has been a team captain for each of the past two seasons, and was named the team MVP as a junior, a year which saw the Sugarbeeters advance to the State Class C Tournament.

Norby has also excelled in volleyball and tennis.  On the volleyball court, she was an All-Conference performer as a sophomore and a junior.  In tennis, she is a two-time All-State pick, where she finished third and fifth at the State Tennis Tournament in the past two years. 

Academically, Norby excels as well.  She carries a 3.97 grade point average, and has been an Academic All-State honoree for three years, and in three sports.  She was a Girls State delegate, a member of the National Honor Society, and a two-year member of BPA.

Norby plans on majoring in nursing at MSU-Northern.  She is the daughter of Scott and Kristi Norby.

Montana State University-Northern women’s basketball coach Chris Mouat has announced the signing of Butte Central standout Kacie McKeon to join the Skylight program next fall.

McKeon, a 5’5” guard, helped lead Butte Central to a 2011 State Class A title, and a runner-up finish in 2012.  She played in more varsity games than any other player in Butte Central history (93), and was a three-year starter and all-conference honoree three times.  This season, she earned All-State honors.

According to Mouat, McKeon brings a great shooting touch to the program.  He said, “Kacie is capable of stretching defenses with her ability to hit the three-point shot, and she has a very nice mid-range game.  She has had incredible success at Butte Central and her future as a Skylight is very bright.”

McKeon broke or tied a number of career and single game records at Butte Central.  She set the record for steals in a season with 89, which also led all of class A.  She tied the school record for three-point field goals in a game (7) and in a season (62).  Her 120 career three-point field goals were 2 shy of the all-time mark at Central.  This season, she averaged 13.4 points per game.

As just a freshman, McKeon earned All-State honors in track, where she finished in fifth place at the State A meet.  She also earned All-Conference honors in three events.  She missed her sophomore season, and was named to the All-Conference team in three events as a junior.  This season, she is participating on the Butte Central tennis team.

Mouat added, “Kacie is a big signee for us.  She plays with a ton of passion, and is a very hard-worker.  She will spend the time necessary to be as successful as she can be, and is a true gym rat.  She has a lot of big-game experience, and knows what it takes to win coming from Butte Central’s program. She’s also an outstanding and motivated student in the classroom.”

In the classroom, McKeon maintains a staggering 4.2 grade point average.  She is a member of the National Honor Society, the senior class president, a member of the Key Club, and a four-year Academic All-State honoree in multiple sports.  She was the Voice of Democracy contest winner, and was a finalist for Butte’s prestigious Student of the Year Award.

Kacie is the daughter of Tim and Helen McKeon.  She plans on majoring in biology at MSU-Northern.

Montana State University-Northern women’s basketball coach Chris Mouat has announced the signing of Kassie Barta to join the Skylight program next fall.  Barta is a 5’8” guard from Fairfield, who played her last two seasons at Miles Community College.

This season, Barta helped lead the Pioneers to a 22-10 overall record and advanced to the second round of the Region IX Tournament in both of her two seasons.  She led the team in scoring at 10.9 points per game.  She started in 28 of the team’s 30 games, and connected on 61 of 171 three-point field goals for 36%.  She also shot nearly 74% from the free throw line.  Barta was also named to COSIDA Academic All-District Team.

Mouat said, “Kassie has improved a ton in her two seasons at Miles Community College.  She comes to us with a lot of familiarity with what we run, and is another shooter who can help us from the perimeter.  She has been very successful in Region IX, and we look forward to her future in a Skylight uniform.”

Barta, a 2009 graduate of Fairfield High School, where she was a four-year starter.  Her teams won State Class B titles in 2008 and 2009, and they lost only two games during that two-year span.  She earned All-State honors as a senior, and was a three-year All-Conference honoree.

Mouat added, “Kassie is a proven winner at every level.  She has really worked to increase her strength over that past couple of years, and it’s paid-off.  She also does a great job in the classroom, and will be a positive addition to our basketball program and university.”

Kassie is the daughter of Bruce and Karen Barta.  She carries a 3.5 grade point average and plans on majoring in biology at MSU-Northern.

Montana State University-Northern women’s basketball coach Chris Mouat has announced the signing of Fairview High School standout Tiffany Kittleson.  Kittleson, a 5’6” guard, averaged 15 points, 3.8 assists, and 2.5 steals per game this season while being named to the Class C All-State team.

Mouat said, “We are very excited about Tiffany.  She is a great competitor, has good shooting range, and comes from one of the very best programs in Class C basketball.”

During her career, Kittleson’s Fairview teams compiled a 99-7 overall record.  They were four-time District and Conference champions, and three-time Divisional champions.  She was a member of the 2010 team that won the Class C state title.

Mouat added, “Tiffany has a very solid understanding of the game, and she absolutely knows what it means to play hard.  Her upside and potential in our program and league are really exciting.”

Kittleson was a four-time Academic All-State honoree in basketball, volleyball, and track and field.  She has been a two-time All-State pick in track, and earned All-Conference honors in volleyball twice.  She was a key member of the 2011 State Class C champions in track and field.  She carries a 3.5 grade point average and plans on majoring in community leadership at MSU-Northern. 

Tiffany is the daughter of Dan and Patty Kittleson.