GAME NOTES:
 

• The Snow College men's basketball team will play its final non-conference games of the season at the Jerry Tarkanian Las Vegas Classic beginning Thursday. The Badgers will take on McCook Community College Thursday at 2:30 p.m. MST before a matchup with Gillette College at 1:00 p.m. MST.

 

• The Badgers are coming off a pair of convincing victories at the Snow College Holiday Invitational last weekend in Ephraim. They defeated Western Nebraska Community College 127-91 and Casper College 103-68.

 

• With the victories, the Badgers climbed to No. 1 in the NJCAA Division I Men's Basketball Rankings for the second time in as many seasons. The Badgers stayed at No. 1 for nearly three months last season.

 

• Snow College scored more than 100 points in both games last weekend. The Badgers have scored more than 100 points in three of their last four games and five total times this season.

 

• As a team, the Badgers are averaging 96.2 points per game. This mark not only leads the conference, but it also lands the Badgers inside the top 10 scoring teams in the nation.

 

• Snow College also finds itself inside the top 10 in a pair of shooting categories. The Badgers shoot 53.3 percent from the field, which is sixth overall, and 41 percent from deep, which is fifth best in the nation.

 

• The Badgers have only played McCook College one time historically. They earned a 100-60 victory Nov. 26, 2021, in Twin Falls, Idaho. The Indians enter the weekend with a 10-4 mark to start the season.

 

• Similarly, the Badgers and Pronghorns have only played one game against each other. Gillette defeated the Badgers 77-70 Nov. 7, 2015, in that matchup. Gillette enters the Tarkanian Classic with a 5-5 record.

 
LAST TIME OUT: Baskets were aplenty for the Badgers at the Snow College Holiday Invitational as they earned a pair of victories against Western Nebraska Community College and Casper College.
 
Snow College entered the weekend following a trio of victories at the Texan Classic in Levelland, Texas. They earned their third victory over a ranked team this season against No. 11 South Plains College.
 
Against WNCC, the lead bounced back and forth over the first seven minutes of action before a quick 7-0 burst from the Badgers gave them a lead they would never relinquish. A 3-pointer from McCaden Adams capped an 11-0 run for Snow College with under seven minutes to play in the opening half.
 
Six straight points from Kyle Lemke over the next two minutes saw the lead balloon to 17 points. Consecutive buckets from Brock McClure – the second of which came with a free throw attached – and the Badgers took a 47-27 lead with under four to play in the opening stanza.
 
The Cougars made a run over the final minutes and cut the lead down to 13, but a 3-pointer at the first-half buzzer from Adams saw the Badgers take a 56-40 lead into the break.
 
The second half became the Bron Roberts show. He recorded his first career double-double in the final 20 minutes alone. He started the second half with a layup on the opening possession. A few possessions later, Roberts tipped in a missed shot before sinking a triple, which helped spark a 12-0 run to give the Badgers a 70-42 lead.
 
The Badgers dominated the Cougars on the glass. Snow College outrebounded WNCC 25-9, including seven offensive rebounds in the second half. 10 of those rebounds were hauled in by Roberts to go along with 15 points after halftime.
 
Snow College scored 71 points in the second half – the most the Badgers have scored in any half this season. They also made 10 3-pointers, while shooting 63 percent from the field and 67 percent from distance over the final 10 minutes of play. The Badgers cruised to a 127-91 victory.
 
Adams led all scorers with 26 points on 8-10 shooting and 5-7 from deep. Roberts finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds and a perfect shooting night – 8-8 from the field and 3-3 from distance. McClure finished with 18 points and six rebounds while Sean Felts had 13.
 
Keagan Caton added 12 points while Max Toombs and Kyle Lemke capped seven total Badgers in double figures with 10 points apiece.
 
Snow College carried the offensive momentum into the final game of the Holiday Invitational as they took on Casper. Adams wasted no time in taking a lead with a 3-pointer in the opening seconds. The Badgers are 61-4 under Head Coach Andrew May when they score first in a game.
 
Snow College exploded out to a 20-5 lead just five minutes into the game. The Badgers steadily increased the advantage over the final 15 minutes of the first half. A pair of layups from Lemke preceded a 3-pointer from Blake Bahr, which pushed the lead to 25 before they eventually took a 55-28 lead into halftime.
 
The Thunderbirds cut into the deficit over the first few minutes of the second half before a 10-0 run from the Badgers increased the advantage back to 27 points. Snow College maintained the offensive barrage, both from inside the paint and from distance, and cruised to a 103-68 victory.
 
Felts and Bahr led Snow College offensively with 15 points. Adams recorded 14 points and six rebounds while Lemke added 13 points. Brock McClure flirted with a triple-double as he finished with 13 points, nine rebounds, and 7 assists in the win.
 
UP NEXT: The Badgers will be on hiatus through the end of the calendar year before beginning conference play against Colorado Northwestern Community College Saturday, Jan. 3. The Spartans are 4-11 overall to begin the season and have lost eight of their last nine games. Tipoff is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. inside the Horne Activity Center. For video streaming and live stats information, visit snowbadgers.com.