Snow College Athletics

The Snow College men's basketball team opened the 2026-27 season by splitting a pair of two-point games at the Snow Classic inside the Sevier Valley Center in Richfield. The Badgers suffered an 83-81 loss to Treasure Valley Community College Friday before rallying to defeat Northwest College 73-71 Saturday.
 
Snow College began Friday's season opener by forcing three turnovers in the first 65 seconds. Max Toombs scored the Badgers' first five points, but TVCC stayed close throughout the opening minutes. The teams traded the lead before the Chukars built a 25-24 advantage with just over five minutes remaining in the first half.
 
The Badgers responded with a 15-2 run. Toombs scored 13 points during the stretch, including back-to-back 3-pointers that gave Snow College its largest lead of the game at 39-27. Treasure Valley scored the final six points of the half, but the Badgers carried a 39-33 advantage into the break.
 
Toombs scored 22 first-half points while making three of his four attempts from beyond the arc and all nine of his free throws. Snow College held TVCC to 38 percent shooting and forced six turnovers during the opening period.
 
The Chukars erased the deficit during the opening minutes of the second half. TVCC made seven 3-pointers after halftime and eventually took a 76-72 lead with five minutes remaining.
 
Snow College continued to battle as Toombs made a pair of free throws before Amari Davis scored inside to trim the deficit to one. Treasure Valley responded with consecutive baskets, but a Toombs layup pulled the Badgers within 81-79 with 2:31 remaining.
 
James Rust created the tying basket with under a minute to play. He blocked a shot on the defensive end before collecting a steal and scoring in transition to tie the game at 81 with 48 seconds remaining.
 
The Badgers forced another miss, but a turnover with 11 seconds left gave TVCC the final possession. The Chukars scored the winning basket with four seconds remaining. Toombs attempted a 3-pointer at the buzzer, but the shot missed, and Snow College suffered the 83-81 loss.
 
Toombs led all scorers with 34 points, six rebounds, and four 3-pointers. Rust recorded a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds while adding four steals. Davis finished with 10 rebounds as the Badgers held a 45-44 advantage on the glass.
 
Snow College shot 42 percent from the field but made just six of its 23 attempts from beyond the arc. The Badgers also left 14 points at the free-throw line, finishing 17 of 31. TVCC scored 50 second-half points and shot 44 percent from 3-point range after halftime.
 
The Badgers returned to action Saturday against Northwest but struggled to find an offensive rhythm during the opening half. The Trappers scored the first nine points and held Snow College without a basket for more than four minutes.
 
Northwest stretched the lead to 12 late in the half before Dino Roberts Jr. scored at the buzzer to trim the deficit to 32-23. Snow College shot 27 percent from the field and made just one of its 10 attempts from beyond the arc during the opening 20 minutes.
 
The deficit continued to grow after halftime. Northwest scored 12 of the first 15 points to take a 44-26 lead with 16:54 remaining. The 18-point advantage was the largest lead of the game.
 
Snow College began chipping away behind its defense. The Badgers forced 20 turnovers overall and scored 18 points off those mistakes. They also collected 22 offensive rebounds, which helped offset a 35 percent shooting performance.
 
After Northwest pushed the lead to seven with 4:58 remaining, Cuillier and Easton Hawkins scored consecutive baskets to pull Snow College within three. Davis scored inside before Rust converted a three-point play to give the Badgers their first lead, 68-67, with 1:25 to go.
 
Northwest moved back in front on its next possession, but Cuillier answered with a jumper to give Snow College a 70-69 lead with 44 seconds remaining. The Trappers reclaimed the advantage with a tip-in with 24 seconds left.
 
The Badgers came up empty on their next possession but retained the ball after it went out of bounds with 12 seconds remaining. Cuillier missed a 3-pointer in the closing seconds, but Hawkins collected the loose ball and connected from beyond the arc at the buzzer to give Snow College the 73-71 victory.
 
The Badgers outscored Northwest 50-39 in the second half while shooting 42 percent from the field and making six 3-pointers. Snow College's bench accounted for 29 points compared with two for the Trappers.
 
Rust filled the stat sheet with 12 points, eight rebounds, six assists and seven steals. Toombs and Hawkins also scored 12 points, while Cuillier added 11 points and four assists. Hawkins scored all 12 of his points after halftime, including the game-winning 3-pointer.
 
Snow College will return to Ephraim for its first game inside the Horne Activity Center when it hosts Colorado Northwestern Community College Tuesday, Nov. 3. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. For video streaming and live stats information, visit snowbadgers.com.