The Snow College men's basketball team claimed three convincing victories last week to open the 2022-23 season. The Badgers defeated Real Salt Lake Academy 128-71, Impact Academy 83-56, and Utah Peaks Prep 117-43.
It took a while for the Badgers to find their footing in the opening game of the season against RSLA. They trailed 13-12 after the first seven minutes of action. A few minutes later, Franson hit back-to-back 3-pointers to give the Badgers a 19-15 lead, and they would never look back.
Franson carried the offense at times in the first half. He went 6-8 from deep including hitting three straight from distance in a 90-second stretch. Franson hit all three of his 3-point attempts in the second half to finish with a career-high 29 points to lead all scorers. He finished the night going 9-11 from beyond the arc, which tripled the number of 3-pointers he made all last season. Franson just missed out on a double-double finishing with nine rebounds as well.
The Badgers distributed the ball well assisting on 26 of their 40 made field goals. 11 of the Badgers finished with at least one assist led by
Gaige Savage who had six helpers.
Snow College torched the nets throughout the game shooting 68 percent from the field including shooting 71 percent in the second half. The Badgers were 15-27 from deep for a total of 56 percent. With the excellent shooting, they took a 57-45 lead into the halftime break.
The Badgers ran away with it in the second half beginning the period on a 27-4 run over the first 10 minutes of action. During that time, they were 9-14 from the field and 4-6 from deep giving them a commanding 84-49 lead.
Snow College used 50 paint points and 66 points off the bench to cruise to a 128-71 victory. Six Badgers finished in double figures led by Franson's 29.
Chase Potter chipped in 18 while
Colin Christensen finished with 16 points on a perfect 4-4 shooting from the field and 7-8 from the charity stripe.
Dylan Jones had 13 points and three assists while
Zach Visentin scored 12 and
Jamir Stephens finished with 10 points and three assists.
It was more of the same for the Badgers against Impact as they cruised to an 83-56 victory. The Badgers converted 33 points off turnovers while also receiving 47 points off their bench. They shot 35 percent from three on 10-29 shooting.
Snow College jumped out to a 19-5 lead halfway through the first half. The Badgers extended that lead to 37-18 going into the halftime break. They would go on a 19-11 run to begin the second half to put the game out of reach.
Jones led all scorers with 17 points. Franson had 15 points following a career high against RSLA.
Clayton Southwick was also in double figures with 10. Visentin just missed out on a double-double with eight points and 10 boards.
The Badgers capped off the weekend with a dominant victory over Utah Peaks Prep, 117-43. The Badgers had a balanced scoring attack scoring 58 points in the first half and 59 points in the second half. They began the second half on a 27-8 run capped off by a 3-pointer from Jones.
Snow College assisted on 30 of 45 made field goals while shooting 53 percent from the field and 36 percent from three. The Badgers used 54 bench points and 56 points in the paint to cruise to the 74-point victory.
Six Badgers finished in double figures led by Southwick, who had 22 points, nine rebounds, and five steals. Franson had a double-double with 18 points and 14 rebounds. He also had six assists and two steals. Jones had 17 while Potter and Visentin had 13 points each.
Gaige Savage finished with 11 points, seven rebounds, and four assists.
Snow College now has a 3-0 record and will play a pair of home games this weekend as part of the Snow Classic. The Badgers will play Jump Start Friday at 7 p.m. before a showdown with No. 2 Florida Southwestern State Saturday at 7:00 p.m. For video streaming and live stat information, visit snowbadgers.com.
