Ira Bowman
Staff
The number one team in the country, the Snow College Badgers, traveled to the College of Southern Idaho and to North Idaho this week for the team's lone road trip to Idaho this season.
The Badgers first took on the No.20 Golden Eagles of Southern Idaho (CSI) in Twin Falls Thursday, January 30, at 7p.m. Head Coach Andrew May had his team ready to play and it showed when the Badgers jumped out to an early 14-7 lead.
The Golden Eagles would make a run to keep the game close and it was punch for punch till late in the first half when Southern Idaho’s Khayri Dunn hit a deep fade-away 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer to put the Badgers down 6 48-42.
In the second half neither team would gain more than a 7 point lead. A physical and competitive game in a great atmosphere saw the score tied at 87-87 with 1:35 left to play after a made 3-pointer from CSI’s Tanner Hayhurst.
A made 3-pointer on the other end from Isaac Finlinson gave the Badgers a three-point lead (90-87) with 1:14 seconds left. Snow College would get a defensive stop and Isaac Garret would get an offensive rebound put pack layup in traffic to give Snow a 92-87 lead with 24 seconds remaining. CSI scored then fouled McCaden Adams to send him to the free-throw line. Adams would shoot 1-2 and give the Badgers a 93-89 victory.
McCaden Adams finished with a game-high and career-high 27 points on 9-14 shooting and 5 rebounds along with 0 turnovers.
Fast forward two days later, and the Badgers are taking on North Idaho in Cour d’Alene.
A quick pace yet grinder of a first half would see North Idaho have the largest lead of the first half (7) when the Cardinals lead 29-22 at the 7:21 mark. Consistent but not easy scoring from the Badgers throughout the rest of the first half would see them trail at halftime for the second time in 3 days. 44-42.
In the second half neither team could break away from the other through the first 15 minutes of action. However, in the last five minutes of play the Badgers would lock up defensively and make timely shots to give themselves a double digit lead 86-76. North Idaho was able to keep the game within reach but were not able to take it back from the Badgers. Snow would pull away in the last two minutes of play to win 99-87.
Snow would finish with five players in double figures led by Isaac Finlinson who finish with a team high 27 points on 8-15 shooting and 5-9 from behind the arc. Mark Bown Jr finished with 19 points, Isaac Garret with 14 points, McCaden Adams with 12 points and Chance Trujillo with 11pints. It was a team win from the badgers.
The number one team will share the court next with Colorado Northwestern at the Horne Activities Center on Thursday February 6, at 7p.m.. Then again on Saturday February 8, at 3p.m. hosting in state foe Salt Lake Community College.
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