Baxter hoops sweep Colo-NESCO in season openers

BAXTER — Career nights from Treyton Travis and Perrin Sulzle and a significant advantage from the free-throw line led the Baxter boys’ basketball team to a season-opening win over Colo-NESCO on Tuesday.

The Bolts started strong and then held off a late Royals surge during a 64-60 home win during an Iowa Star Conference South Division matchup.

Travis put in a career-high 29 points and added four rebounds, four assists and four steals in the win, while Sulzle added a career-high 18 points and chipped in eight boards, five assists and two blocks.

The Bolts (1-0, 1-0 in the conference) led 14-12 after one quarter and extended the margin to 35-26 at halftime. The Royals won the second half, but Baxter outlasted its visitors to pull out the victory.

Cainan Travis scored eight points for Baxter, while Stadan Vansice chipped in five points, three rebounds and three steals and Ben Richardson tallied four points, two rebounds, three assists and three steals.

The Bolts shot 42 percent from the floor, made 5-of-17 from 3-point range and connected on 13-of-17 from the charity stripe. They turned it over 13 times.

The Royals got 27 points and eight rebounds from Gannon Short and 23 points and nine rebounds from Lucas Frohwein.

Colo-NESCO (0-1, 0-1) shot 44 percent from the floor, made 5-of-23 from 3 and buried 7-of-9 from the foul line. The Royals committed 18 turnovers.

GIRLS

Baxter 32, Colo-NESCO 26

Emie Tuhn scored 16 points, Avery Wonders grabbed nine rebounds in her varsity debut and the Baxter girls’ basketball team opened the season with a 32-26 home win over Colo-NESCO on Tuesday.

The Bolts won the Iowa Star Conference South Division game despite shooting 33 percent from the floor and turning the ball over 26 times.

Tuhn added two rebounds, two assists and five steals, while Karlee Koehler chipped in eight points and five rebounds and Hannah Huffaker set new career-highs with four points and five boards.

Koehler grabbed four rebounds all of last year. Kendall Brummel collected six boards in her varsity debut, too.

The Bolts (1-0, 1-0 in the conference) shot 4-of-22 from 3-point range and connected on 2-of-6 from the free-throw line.

The Royals (0-2, 0-1) shot 20 percent from the floor, made 2-of-13 from 3 and buried 5-of-12 from the foul line. Gemma Bower led Colo-NESCO with 12 points and the Royals turned the ball over 14 times.