Badgers slip past So. Idaho 72-69 but

 SLCC takes title with 84-81 victory

By Jacob Clawson 

Staff writer

3-5-2020

The Snow College men’s basketball team fought their way to the championship game in the Region XVIII tournament this past weekend, but fell short to their nemesis Salt Lake Community College, 81-84.

After securing the No. 2 seed, the Badgers did all they could to battle back from the rough start and protect their title as conference champions. The Badgers started off by beating Southern Idaho on Friday night in Twin Falls, Idaho in a close game 71-69.

Despite holding the Golden Eagles to 21 percent shooting from the field, the Badgers still had to fight back and reclaim the lead after CSI started to gain their own lead with 12 minutes left in the first half. The Badgers eventually cushioned their lead to 8 points at the half.

The second half was another battle that tried the Badger’s will and drive, but Snow pushed through and gained their spot in the championship game after winning by a single basket.

Coach Robert Nielson shared a few words after Friday’s victory. “The game came down to defense,” he said. “We shut them out the first half. We did a good job, and then they stepped up and made some really hard shots. It was a great game though, and our guys fought and battled”.

The championship game on Saturday against the Salt Lake Community College Bruins wasn’t anything new, as it was nearly identical to the Badger’s last match-up against the Bruins, which came down to the final shot, in the last seconds as well.

Trailing in the last few minutes of the game, the Badgers did all they could to close the gap against the fast scoring Bruin offense. As the clock eventually ran down to zero, Matt Norman shot his final free-throws after a foul to push the Badgers within 3 points to end the game 81-84.

While the Badgers couldn’t maintain their region champion title, the Badgers had a full starting lineup full of awards to be proud of. Both Trey Farrer and Brayden Johnson were named 1st team All-Region. Brantzen Blackner was credited with 2nd team All-Region and finally Tredyn Christansen and Matt Norman both were named All-Region Honorable Mention.

Johnson and Norman received their last award after Saturday’s championship game, when they were named to the Region All-Tournament team.

After fighting back after a rocky start to the season, the Badgers have really impressed the community and league with their pride and determination. The Badgers will look to next year to reclaim the title from the Bruins.