Before most Americans had even defrosted their Thanksgiving turkey, the Snow College men's basketball team was starting the best winning streak in program history. Fast forward nearly four months, and the number one team in the nation finds itself the winner of 25 games in a row and the West District Champions for the first time ever.
 
No. 1 Snow College defeated Region I Champion, No. 17 Eastern Arizona College 94-85 Saturday in Ephraim to punch its ticket to the NJCAA National Tournament in Hutchinson, Kansas for the fourth time in program history.
 
The Badgers entered what would be their final home game of the season Saturday after capturing the Region 18 Championship last weekend. Snow College, virtually a lock for the National Tournament, needed a victory against the Gila Monsters in the West District Championship to officially land its spot in the bracket.
 
An emphatic two-handed block from Isaac Garrett (So./Pleasant Grove, Utah/Pleasant Grove HS) on EAC's first possession led to a fastbreak layup for Isaac Finlinson (So./St. George, Utah/Dixie HS), and the tone was set for the rest of the evening.
 
Finlinson, the Badgers leading scorer averaging just over 19 points a game and the Scenic West Athletic Conference Player of the Year, needed 16 points entering play Saturday to become just the fifth member of the 1,000-point club at Snow College. His pursuit of rarified air was off to a good start in his final game inside the Horne Activity Center.
 
Snow College used the momentum to jump out to a 10-4 lead three minutes into action. EAC brought it back within one point minutes later before a layup from Sean Felts (Fr./Draper, Utah/Crimson Cliffs, HS) preceded Chance Trujillo (Fr./Kaysville, Utah/Davis HS) sinking all three free throws after being fouled on an attempt from beyond the arc, and the Badgers led 18-12 with 12:23 left in the first half.
 
Five straight points from the Gila Monsters nearly erased the lead, but a jumper from Garrett sparked a 9-0 run from the Badgers and they led by 10 midway through the opening stanza. They were able to extend the lead out to as many as 15 before EAC made a push in the final few minutes. The Gila Monsters scored the final six points of the half to trim the Badgers' lead to 45-38 heading into intermission.
 
Snow College carried the momentum into the second half and pushed the lead out to 17 on a jumper from Felts. The Gila Monsters' high-pressure defense allowed them to use a 9-1 run to get back within single digits with under 12 to play.
 
Mark Brown Jr. (So./South Phoenix, Arizona/Bella Vista Prep) made his mark on the game as a 3-pointer followed by a steal and a fastbreak layup lifted the Horne Activity Center to its feet as the Badgers went up by 14 with 8:27 remaining.
 
Finlinson scored his 10^th point at the 6:45 mark needing six more points to reach 1,000. His jumper helped spark a 9-2 run to put Snow College up 83-66 with three and a half left in the game.
 
EAC made one final push to get back within 11 with 2:09 on the game clock. Finlinson made a pair of layups and a free throw, and Coleman Ford (So./Provo, Utah/Timpview HS) sank two free throws and Snow College held a 91-76 lead with under a minute to play.
 
With the game in hand, it appeared Finlinson would fall one point short of reaching the milestone at home, but EAC elected to foul with 10 seconds left to send Finlinson to the free-throw line. He made the second of two free throws to become only the fifth member of the 1,000-point club in program history.
 
When the final buzzer sounded, Snow College had punched its ticket with a 94-85 wire-to-wire victory. The win was the first time the Badgers had won the district championship and just the fourth time ever they have made it to the NJCAA National tournament.
 
Finlinson led six Badgers in double figures as he finished with 16 points. He also had six rebounds, four assists, two steals and a block. Garrett recorded his fifth double-double of the season with 15 points and 11 rebounds.
 
Kyle Lemke (Fr./St. George, Utah/Dixie HS) and Felts both had 13 points and four rebounds, while Trujillo had 11 points and six boards and McCaden Adams (Fr./Pleasant Grove, Utah/Pleasant Grove HS) had 10 points to aid in the win.
 
Snow College, which owns the best record and the most wins in the nation, will await its placement in the NJCAA National Tournament, which is slated to be announced Sunday at 5:00 p.m. on the NJCAA YouTube page. The tournament bracket, when available, will be posted on snowbadgers.com.