Cardinals split with Snow

North Idaho College women’s basketball coach Chris Carlson is looking forward to the last couple weeks of the regular season and the Region 18 Tournament. By then, his team should be completely healthy, even if he’s got a balky knee that locks up on occasion.

NIC, which continues to play without mainstays Simone Jordan (knee) and Paige McGowan (hand), still had more than enough depth to subdue Snow 74-60 in a Scenic West Athletic Conference contest Friday at Christianson Gym.

“Our whole team has really played a lot of basketball, clear back to December,” said Carlson, who had three players have bouts with the flu earlier this week. “I think our depth is showing up this time of year.”

The Cardinal men failed to make it a sweep as they were held to a season-low point total in a 57-51 loss to Snow.

The teams collide again tonight – women at 5:30, men at 7:30.

Women

The Cardinals threatened to run away in the first half, building a 29-17 lead on Kay Hill’s mid-range jumper with 3:10 left. Snow (12-11, 5-8 SWAC) battled back within five at intermission, but NIC quickly pulled away in the second half.

NIC (16-7, 8-5) went on a 23-9 run to open the half, capped by two tough, off-balance shots by Brittany Duerr in the lane.

“We shot better in the second half and we converted more off some of our pressure,” Carlson said.

The versatile 5-foot-8 Hill, who at times has played every position on the floor this season, had 20 points, eight rebounds, four assists and four steals. Niki Scott, fighting a bad back, grabbed 13 rebounds and Duerr, who moved into the starting lineup when the injuries hit, finished with 14 points.

NIC’s bench made a big contribution. Chelsea Mykines had 15 points and four steals in 24 minutes and backup guard Marney Lee chipped in a pair of 3-pointers, including a key 3 with 4:18 left after Snow had pared the Cardinals’ lead from 21 to 12. Lee’s parents from Australia were in attendance.

There are three weeks remaining in the regular season and Jordan and McGowan are expected to return, possibly next weekend.

Men

The Cardinals (12-11, 4-9 SWAC) haven’t been involved in many grinding, possession-by-possession games where points are hard to come by. They didn’t look comfortable, despite leading for the better part of 30 minutes.

Shawn Henderson’s 3-pointer – the Cardinals only connection in 11 second-half tries from behind the arc – gave NIC a 44-40 lead with 9:02 remaining, but NIC didn’t make another basket until Steven Wesley’s layup with 1:48 left.

NIC made just 9 of 34 shots in the second half and just 31.7 percent for the game.

“We couldn’t hit a shot,” Cardinals coach Jared Phay said. “Some of it was poor shot selection, but when you can’t make a layin or a 5-footer I don’t know how you can score. And we’ve got too much selfishness. We’ve got to regroup and play more as a team. We’ve got too many guys worried about getting their shots.”

Snow (17-6, 9-4) took control during NIC’s offensive lull as forwards Geoff Payne, Cris Hoopes and Adrien Sturt combined for six interior buckets.

“I felt like our defensive effort in the first half was really good,” Phay said. “In the second half we had a little stretch where we let up and we started letting them make that entry pass and that’s what they kill you with.”

Zach Parks had 11 points and 11 rebounds, despite being in foul trouble for the Cards.