Box Score 1 | Box Score 2
EPHRAIM — The Snow College men head home with a record of 13-5 after finishing 2-1 in the Maricopa County Holiday Basketball Classic in the three days before New Year's. The Badgers opened with a 96-70 win over South Mountain Community College (Phoenix) on Monday, Dec. 29, lost a 94-84 shootout to Cochise College (Douglas, Ariz.) on Tuesday and then finished strong with a 76-67 win over host Phoenix College on Wednesday.

Each team had four players score in double digits as 22nd ranked Cochise downed Snow, 94-84, on Dec. 30. Snow's Walter Wright led all scorers with 26 points followed by his teammate Gentrey Thomas with 21. Le'Jon Johnson added 11 for the Badgers and Larenz Stalcup scored 10. Four Apaches finished with 17 points for Cochise -- Brayon Blake, Arell Hennings, Jordan Martin and Daniel Hernandez. Neither team shot the lights out -- Snow 44 percent from the floor to 42 percent for Cochise -- but they hoisted a combined 133 shots from the floor, an average of a shot every 18 seconds.

Snow held a 49-31 edge in rebounding led by Stalcup's 12 boards. Wright handed out five assists for Snow. The Badgers hurt themselves with 27 turnovers while Cochise committed only 13. Cochise led at halftime, 58-46.

The Badgers got back on the winning track the next afternoon as they closed out by downing the tournament host Phoenix College, 76-67. Phoenix held a one-point, 36-35, lead at halftime.

Again four Badgers scored in double figures -- Wright with 18, Johnson with 17, Romain Louiserre scored 15 and Thomas had 11. Johnson was four for eight on 3-point shots. Thomas led all rebounders with nine and also had a game-high eight assists. Wright added seven boards and seven assists. Brandon Brown led Phoenix with 17 points and Travis Meeker grabbed seven rebounds.

Snow begins a three-week home stand this week as they resume play in the Scenic West Athletic Conference (SWAC) on Thursday. That night the Badgers will host the number two team in the nation, Southern Idaho (14-0), which is tied for the lead in the SWAC with Salt Lake at 3-0. On Saturday Snow will host North Idaho (2-1, 14-2). Snow is currently tied with North Idaho at 2-1.