Freshman Lindsay Cook pulls up for a jumper during the Lady Badgers’ home game against Utah State-Eastern last Thursday. Snow stifled the Lady Eagles for the win, 62-50.
Lady Badgers heading with confidence into playoffs, No. 3 seed in conference
Matt Harris
Staff writer
3-2-2017
EPHRAIM—The Lady Badgers evened things up at the end by winning out their schedule en route to an 8-8 conference record.
Snow College’s women’s basketball team pulled off impressive victories against Utah State-Eastern at home and on the road against Colorado Northwestern, winning 62-50 and 71-60. Pressure defense played a key role in both victories as the Lady Badgers seized more than 15 steals in both games.
Snow now enters the Scenic West Athletic Conference Tournament on a two-game winning streak, sporting a 13-14 overall record.
“We are definitely going into this week’s tournament with confidence, and I believe for the most part we are playing at our best,” head coach Mike Russell said.
Utah State-Eastern was a tough match for the Lady Badgers, having come in into Ephraim boasting consecutive victories over Southern Idaho and No. 4-ranked Salt Lake. Being able to create turnovers aided Snow’s efforts in throwing the Lady Eagles off their groove. Snow managed to attain their first double-digit lead of the game before halftime and went into the locker with a 31-21 advantage.
The Lady Badgers came out on a mission, extending their lead throughout the third quarter by as much as 20 points before USU-E began mounting a comeback effort, going on a 13-0 run midway through the fourth but never getting any closer.
“Being able to get that win in the fashion that we did was huge for our girls and their confidence,” Russell said.
Freshmen Madison Mooring, Jazmin Chavez, and Harley Hansen led the scoring with 15, 13, and 10 points, respectively.
Colorado Northwestern challenged the Lady Badgers all game long the following Saturday on their home court. Snow got out to an early lead, 17-14, in the first quarter, but the Lady Spartans fought back to the point that they just managed to steal the halftime lead from the Lady Badgers with 30 seconds remaining, 34-32.
After that, it was all Snow for a good long while. The Lady Badgers turned up the heat on defense and choked out CNCC in the third quarter, only allowing four points and taking the lead by as much as 15 points. The fourth quarter ended up being a race to the finish, and Snow outlasted the Lady Spartans 20-22 to seal the victory.
Once again, Mooring, Hansen, and Chavez led the charge. Mooring led with 18 points, while Chavez and Hansen each put in 12.
“They have been a tough matchup for us,” Russell said. “To go on the road and get the win heading into the tournament was big, and I believe will prove to be a difference-maker for us.”
The Lady Badgers secured the No. 3 seed in the SWAC tournament and will begin tournament play tomorrow at noon against Southern Idaho.
