The Snow College men's basketball team earned two victories at the Wrangle Club Classic in Odessa, Texas, last weekend.  The Badgers defeated No. 9 Odessa College 89-85 before defeating New Mexico Military Institute 75-48 on the final day of the tournament.
 
The Badgers entered the tournament off the heels of a 109-64 victory against Western Wyoming Community College the prior weekend.  Following the victory, Snow College climbed to fifth in the NJCAA Division I Men's Basketball Rankings.
 
The Badgers got out to a slow start in the first game of the tournament against Midland College.  They found themselves trailing by 6 points midway through the first half.  Snow College was able to gain some momentum and erase the lead over the next five minutes.  And 8-0 run towards the end of the first half allowed the Chaparrals to take a 40-36 into the halftime break.
 
Midland was able to hold the Badgers at bay throughout the second half.  Snow College trailed by as many as 12 during the final 20 minutes.  The Badgers were able to cut the deficit to four points with under a minute to play, but it wasn't enough, and they suffered their first loss of the season, 77-70.
 
McCaden Adams (Fr./Pleasant Grove, Utah/Pleasant Grove HS) led all scorers with 25 points and nine rebounds.  Mark Brown Jr. (So./South Phoenix, Arizona/Bella Vista Prep) added 15 points and 3 rebounds.
 
The following day, the Badgers took on No. 9 Odessa.  Snow College got out to a better start against the Wranglers and held a 19-15 lead midway through the opening half.  Brown Jr. carried much of the load as he scored 20 first-half points and was perfect from the field on five attempts.  The Badgers would eventually take a 46-44 lead into the half.
The Wranglers were not able to cut into the momentum through the first five minutes of the second half. An 8-0 burst from the Badgers gave them their largest lead of the game at 64-53 with 14 minutes to play in the game.  Over the next six minutes, Odessa trimmed the deficit to 69-67 before a 7-0 run extended the lead back to 9.
 
The Wranglers would not go away and eventually leveled the score at 80 with 2 and a half minutes to play.  A 3-point play from Kyle Lemke (Fr./St. George, Utah/Dixie HS) and a pair of free throws from Brown Jr. gave the Badgers a 5-point cushion but an Odessa 3-pointer brought it back to a 2-point game with a minute to play.
 
Lemke pulled down a critical offensive rebound off a missed 3-pointer on the following possession.  Brown Jr. was sent to the line, where he buried both free throws, and the Badgers led 87-83 with 19 seconds to play.  Odessa responded with a layup and a foul.  The free throw was missed and rebounded by Brown Jr. 
 
Brown Jr. was fouled and sent to the line where he sank both shots again and the Badgers led 89-85 with four seconds to play.  The last-second shot from the Wrangles clanged off front iron and Snow College earned the victory.
 
Brown Jr. led the way with 34 points on 8-9 shooting from the field.  He converted on 16-17 free-throw attempts.  The 34 points is the most a Badger has scored in a game since Travis Wagstaff scored 35 points March 16, 2021.  16 made free throw attempts is also the most since Walter Wright made 19 twice during the 2014-15 season.
 
Isaac Finlinson (So./St. George, Utah/Dixie HS) recorded 18 points and grabbed six rebounds while Adams tallied 13 points and 3 steals in the victory.
 
It was a quick turnaround for the Badgers as they took on NMMI the following morning.  The Broncos scored the first five points of the game.  This was the only time the Badgers would trail throughout the contest.  A 21-0 run from the Badgers quickly turned the game on its head.  Snow College would eventually double up NMMI and take a 40-20 lead into the break.
 
The Badgers continued to add to the lead in the second half.  They led by as many as 32 points before securing the 75-48 victory.  Isaac Garrett (So./Pleasant Grove, Utah/Pleasant Grove HS) was the lone Badger who scored in double figures as he tallied 16 points and grabbed nine rebounds in the victory.
 
Snow College will now return home for one game against Central Wyoming College Saturday.  Tipoff is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. inside the Horne Activity Center.  For video streaming and live stat information, visit snowbadgers.com.