Cardinals Get Buried By Snow Can’t Recover From Slow Start

In a way it was like a season opener for the North Idaho College men’s basketball team Thursday.

And NIC played like it too. In the first Scenic West Athletic Conference game for both teams since mid December, Snow College controlled from the start as the Badgers handled the Cardinals 86-74 at Christianson Gym.

NIC, which lost a starter and reserve because of grades, welcomed back a starter (JoVann Johnson) lost to a knee injury earlier in the season and 7-foot center Eihab Al-Arorey, who became eligible after the first semester.

So it was obvious from the opening tip that the Cardinals were trying to become comfortable together.

NIC coach Hugh Watson was much more critical following a 20-minute postgame talk.

“We looked like we’ve never been coached,” said Watson, whose team dropped to 10-4 overall, 1-3 in conference. “We looked like we’ve never played together. We looked like we didn’t know how to stop anybody defensively. We looked like we’d never run an offensive play. We just got our butts kicked every way you look at it. I’d like to have an excuse, I really would, but they just came in here and kicked our butts.”

Snow (15-2, 4-1) did it without its top scorer. Tyson Hancock (15.8 points per game), a 6-7 sophomore, didn’t play because of tendinitis in a knee. Coach Jon Judkins made the decision not to play Hancock after he complained of pain during a shoot around earlier in the day.

Sophomore guard Brandon Fries, Snow’s second-leading scorer (14.8), more than made up for Hancock’s absence.

Fries scored a game-high 32 points. It was his final basket - 3 pointer - that proved most lethal.

NIC had just cut Snow’s lead to 73-71 when Fries came around a screen at the top of the key and fired an NBA-range 3-pointer with just two seconds on the shot clock.

“He told me before the game that he felt good tonight,” Judkins said.

Snow added to NIC’s woes early with a fast start. The Badgers enjoyed their biggest lead at 24-15 before NIC had a brief rally at the end of the half. Snow led 42-39 at halftime.

The Cards were forced to foul late after Fries’ 3 - especially after NIC missed four straight shots and had a turnover on five straight possessions.

That allowed Snow to pad the gap.

“We had to play (hard),” Judkins said. “We don’t have the athleticism that these guys have. To overcome that we have to play hard, we have to play smart and we have to do the things we can do and not play their game.”

As Watson pointed out NIC never got into any flow offensively.

Watson said his team will watch video of the game today. But he’s not sure his team will have enough time to turn things around by Saturday when No. 5-ranked Dixie College visits. Ricks College upset Dixie 75-68 Thursday.

“It could really be embarrassing Saturday night,” Watson said. “Because (Dixie) is three times as good as this bunch.”

Snow College 86, North Idaho 74

Snow (15-2, 4-1) - Bennett 3-4 4-4 10, Ingersoll 0-0 0-0 0, Fries 9-21 9-11 32, Gardere 3-5 2-2 8, Anderson 0-0 0-0 0, Fife 3-4 2-2 8, Johnson 0-2 0-0 0, Rhoads 6-11 0-1 12, Hansen 0-0 2-2 2, Brown 0-2 1-2 1, Grant 4-6 5-8 13. Totals 28-55 25-32 86.

North Idaho (10-4, 1-3) - Johnson 3-7 2-3 8, Bailey 4-12 7-8 16, Goodman 5-15 0-1 11, Brosseau 0-0 0-0 0, Houston 0-2 2-4 2, Clay 1-4 0-0 3, Watson 1-3 1-2 4, Fisher 1-3 0-0 2, Al-Arorey 2-2 0-0 4, Ryan 7-10 10-14 24. Totals 24-58 22-32 74.

Halftime - Snow 42, NIC 39. 3-point goals - Snow 5-12 (Fries 5-9, Gardere 0-1, Rhoads 0-2); NIC 4-22 (Johnson 0-3, Bailey 1-5, Goodman 1-9, Clay 1-3, Watson 1-2). Fouled out - Snow, Fife; NIC, Houston. Rebounds - Snow 23 (Fife, Rhoads 5); NIC 33 (Goodman 8). Assists - Snow 21 (Bennett 7), NIC 15 (six players with 2 each). Total fouls - Snow 23, NIC 23. Technicals - none.

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