Badgers go icy in second

half, fall to CSI 69-97

By James Tilson

Staff writer

Feb. 1, 2018

EPHRAIM—A hard-fought first half in men’s basketball turned into a blowout in the second half, as horrific shooting doomed the Badgers of Snow College against the College of Southern Idaho (CSI) last Thursday night, Jan. 25, by a score of 97-69.

In the first half, Snow and CSI kept pace with each other and were only separated by one point at halftime with Snow leading 37-36.

Two Badgers were already in double figures—Romain Boxus with 10 and Logan Hokanson with 11, and it looked like Snow was putting together a solid effort.

Then in the second half, the wheels fell off for the Badgers.

After playing CSI tight for the first six minutes of the half, the Badgers turned ice cold.

For a nine-minute span, the Badgers shot 5-18, missing jump shot after jump shot, and the score went from being down only two, 49-47, to losing by 28, 97-69.

At the same time that the Badgers were turning into icicles, the Golden Eagles became hot. CSI in the second half shot 62 percent from the field, 54 percent from three-point range, and sharpshooter Charles Jones, Jr., scored 31 points for the game.

Coach Rob Nielson said the Badgers stopped playing their own deliberate opportunistic style and tried to mimic CSI’s: “I thought we did a good job the first 30 minutes of the game, but the last 10 we didn’t execute our style. We started to try to play their style, and that isn’t what we do well.”

In the second half, the Badgers only shot 31 percent from the field and a horrible 13 percent from three-point range.

While not the leading scorer, Snow’s Jayden Coke was able to have a solid game in both halves, managing six points in the first half and seven in the second. He was also the only Badger to make more than he missed in the second half, shooting 66 percent from the field and 50 percent from three-point range.

The Badgers stand at 1-4 in the Scenic West Athletic Conference and 11-10 overall.

However, Nielson reminds Badger fans that with seven conference games left, the season can be turned around: “It’s a long season, and every team has some ups and downs. Right now CSI is playing very well, and Snow is not. Over the next month, we hope to get on a run and get hot so we can peak at the right time.”

This week, Snow hosts Colorado Northwestern Community College today at 7:30 p.m. and on Saturday the Badgers get a return trip from the Bruins of Salt Lake Community College at 5 p.m.