NATCHITOCHES – After a pair of games against Southland Conference co-leaders, the Northwestern State men's basketball team wraps up its three-game conference homestand Saturday against a team that presents a different type of challenge.
 
The Demons host East Texas A&M at 1 p.m. Saturday on ESPN+ on "Back to School Day." School supplies for students of all ages, including college, will be available in the front lobby of Prather Coliseum while supplies last.
 
The matchup with the Lions (2-13, 0-4) comes after Northwestern (6-8, 3-1) split games against then-conference co-leaders Nicholls and McNeese this past weekend.
 
"One thing about conference basketball – and I've been coaching a long time – is anybody can beat anybody," second-year head coach Rick Cabrera said. "Scouting is a lot different, more intense. The games mean more. East Texas is hungry. They've been in a lot of games. We will not take them lightly. They defend. They shoot the ball well."
 
The Lions have dropped their first four conference games, starting with an 83-79 setback to Houston Christian on Dec. 5. They have dropped their past three Southland matchups by double figures, including an 83-61 defeat to Nicholls on Jan. 6.
 
The Demons fell to McNeese, 92-69, that same night. With four days between games, Cabrera and his players have had time to reflect on their first conference loss of the season, one that kept Northwestern from its first 4-0 league in 20 years.
 
Cabrera said following the loss to McNeese it would not define his team. His tone had not changed four days later except in regard to himself.
 
"I need to follow my own words," he said. "It's taken me a couple of days to get over that game on Monday night. The good thing about the game of basketball is we have a couple games a week, so we have to focus on the next one."
 
When Southland Conference play hits, teams typically shrink their rotations, but Cabrera and the Demons have gained a bit of a mid-year boost in freshman guard Justin Redmond.
 
Redmond missed the first 10 games of the season because of an illness before making his Northwestern debut against Southern-New Orleans on Dec. 20.
 
A 6-foot-2, 170-pounder from Snellville, Georgia, Redmond had the most productive game of his freshman season against McNeese, sinking three 3-pointers en route to a career-high nine points.
 
In his first three games, Redmond is 4 for 8 from 3-point range, adding another floor spacer to the Demon offense.
 
"Justin is one of the better guards on the team from an offensive perspective," Cabrera said. "He's a little behind on the defensive end, but he's serviceable to where he doesn't get exposed. Offensively, he has an extreme gift of shooting the ball and being a threat on the court. Once he's gotten healthy and earned his minutes, he's showed it against Texas and against McNeese.
 
"I'm proud that he has stuck it out, hasn't pouted, hasn't complained. He watches extra film on his own, which is shocking for a young kid and good on his end."
 
Redmond also brings a twist to the Demon lineup – a second left-hander in the backcourt, joining Jon Sanders II. All told, Northwestern features a trio of lefty guards on the roster.
 
"Southpaws are different," Cabrera said. "I would love to have a lefty post player. Those are the hardest to guard, just like lefty pitchers are harder to hit because you don't see them as much. Justin has a pretty shot, and he works on it. There's something about his craftiness. The sky's the limit for his game."