TWIN FALLS, IDAHO — The Snow College Lady Badgers basketball team’s season came to an end March 12 at the NJCAA Region 18 tournament in Twin Falls, Idaho.

Snow fell to the top-seeded College of Southern Idaho 73-49 in the tournament semifinal. The loss came two weeks after the Lady Badgers defeated the Golden Eagles in regular-season play.

The Lady Badgers struggled with turnovers throughout the game, committing 27 that the Golden Eagles converted into 34 points. Southern Idaho also limited Snow offensively in the opening half, holding the Lady Badgers to 17 points before the break.

Dalana Jakovljevic and Seini Tuipulotu led Snow in scoring with 10 points apiece, while Sara Aoki, Kysa Shippen and Megan Johnson contributed five points each. Sydnee Smith added a 3-pointer, and Hartlynn Richins and June Olsen each added a basket.

Shippen led the team in defense with two steals and pulled down 16 rebounds— eight offensive and eight defensive. Avery Allred and Aoki each recorded two assists.

Snow head coach Zu Grinsell said her team was young but resilient, and she expressed pride in the group’s performance this season.

“I can’t complain at all, and I’m pretty proud of their work this season,” Grinsell said. “We had some great freshman players this year, and we probably had the two best point guards in the league in Lala Baldwin and Sara Aoki. They had the ability to shoot and distribute and get downhill.

“We also had some really good freshman posts as well with Hillary Akomatsri and Megan Johnson. Avery Allred was our starting wing for every game this season, and she is just such a strong rebounder. She was just a real hustle player for us.”

Jakovljevic, a sophomore on the Lady Badgers squad, said the season was largely about growth for a young roster.

“We started out pretty strong, but we have a young team that is mostly freshmen, and I feel like the season was a lesson learned for all of us, especially experience-wise,” Jakovljevic said. “I think we had ups and downs throughout the year, but overall it made each and every one of us stronger.”

Snow battled throughout the game but was unable to overcome Southern Idaho’s defensive pressure and scoring runs. The Lady Badgers shot 38.9 percent from the floor and 22 percent from 3-point range. Snow finished at 33.3 percent from the free-throw line and collected 42 rebounds as a team.

“We fought through some adversity,” Grinsell said. “We had a great year to start with, though we kind of took some lumps at the beginning of conference play. I feel like we really finished strong.”

The loss capped Snow’s season with a 7-8 record in Region 18 play and a 19-12 overall mark.

Baldwin and Aoki have been recognized with Scenic West Athletic Conference All-Conference honors. Baldwin earned First-Team recognition after a standout season, while Aoki was named to the Second Team.

Baldwin, a Draper native, played in all 31 games for the Lady Badgers, making 29 starts and leading the team with 11.8 points per game. She was the only Snow College player to average double figures this season and finished seventh in scoring across the conference.