Thunder sneak past Baxter girls hoops

BAXTER — A bucket in the closing seconds pushed Grand View Christian to a 41-39 win over Baxter’s girls’ basketball team on Jan. 9 during a non-conference contest at Baxter High School.

McKenzie Eslinger hit a bucket and then made a pair of free throws to tie the game before the Thunder’s final shot attempt went through the net at the other end.

Eslinger finished with nine points, 16 rebounds, two blocks and two steals in the loss.

Baxter, which had its four-game winning streak stopped, trailed 17-7 after one quarter but was down only two at halftime.

The Thunder (5-6) pushed the lead back to six after three. The Bolts (6-4) won the fourth but it wasn’t enough to get the win.

Lilie Vansice put in 13 points, dished out a career-high seven assists and grabbed three rebounds. Caitlyn Bruntz tallied eight points, three assists, two rebounds and two steals.

Holly Jessen scored five points and grabbed five boards and Lexi Samson added four points and five rebounds. Sadie Meyer returned to the lineup after being out on Jan. 5 with an illness, but Sophie Meyer did not play.

The Bolts were only 15-of-56 from the floor and 2-of-11 from 3-point range. They also missed five free throws.