Bolts use second-half run to dispatch rival Spartans

Dec. 6—BAXTER — Cody Damman wasn't feeling it on Thursday night during the Bolts' season-opening win over Colo-NESCO.

He scored just one point in the victory.

So prior to Friday's game against rival Collins-Maxwell, Baxter head boys basketball coach Zach Hasselbrink made sure to get on the same page with his star point guard.

"We need him to score. For him to score one point is not the expectation for either of us," Hasselbrink said. "He wants to distribute the ball to his teammates, but that doesn't mean he can't go score, too. We can't win a lot of games if he scores one point."

Damman responded to Hasselbrink's message with a 21-point effort against the Spartans.

Fifteen of those 21 came in the second half and it helped push the Bolts past Collins-Maxwell 76-52 during Iowa Star Conference South Division play.

"I couldn't get into a groove. It just wasn't my night. I had to find other ways to help the team," Damman said about Thursday's one-point night. "I realized at the end of the first half (against Collins-Maxwell) that I was able to get to the rim any time I wanted."

Baxter (2-0 overall, 2-0 in the conference) led 20-10 after one quarter. Five different Bolts scored in the frame.

The Spartans played even with the Bolts in the second and third quarters. Carson Scroggins had 14 points in the win and six of those came in the second.

It was 34-23 at halftime, and the Spartans (1-2, 1-1) closed the gap to 36-34 with an 11-2 run to start the third.

The Bolts though ended the frame on a 16-6 run and outscored the Spartans 24-12 in the fourth.

"We have an old group who have been through a lot," Hasselbrink said. "We were able to weather that storm. We know we are going to get every team's best effort. We have the bullseye. We can't get scared.

"We want to speed you up and run, run, run so by the third and fourth quarters, we have legs and you don't. That happened tonight. We pulled away in the fourth because we had legs."

Damman highlighted the second-half surge. He scored nine of his 21 in the third and seven came during the 16-6 run that ended the period.

Five players scored in the fourth and Perrin Sulzle buried a pair of treys and added a jumper to keep the Spartans at arm's length.

The Bolts were just 3-of-11 from distance, but Sulzle hit two of those and the team shot 48 percent from the floor overall.

"Perrin is one guy we count on to hit those shots. That's what he needs to do when he comes in," Hasselbrink said. "I sure hope the shooting gets better. We spend time on that. It comes down to a mentality and it comes down to confidence.

"Whether or not we make outside shots is what could be the difference between us having a good season or a great season. We have to find ways to hit the 3 ball, especially when we are wide open. We haven't accomplished that yet. There's no need to panic. We find ways to win without it. And we will lean on our defense if we have to."

Damman registered seven rebounds, five assists and three steals to go along with his 21 points.

Trice Clapper had a significant advantage inside the lane and finished with 16 points, 10 rebounds and two steals. Scroggins also had a double-double, collecting 14 points, 13 boards and two assists.

Sulzle also scored in double-figures with 10 points and seven rebounds. Treyton Travis added nine points, four rebounds, four assists and three steals, Cael Shepley chipped in six points, a career-high 10 assists and two rebounds and Cainan Travis grabbed four boards and delivered two assists.

The Bolts held a 47-30 advantage in rebounds, made 11-of-12 from the free-throw line and committed only 13 turnovers.

"We have guys who can score and score in different ways," Hasselbrink said. "Clapper is a big strong guy. We have to take advantage when teams can't match his size. We got him the ball as much as we could and he played his butt off, too.

"On any given night, we don't know who will step up. Cody has been around for four years. He took over in the second half tonight."

Baxter 65, Colo-NESCO 38

COLO — A fast start and a double-double from Scroggins led Baxter to a 65-38 road win over Colo-NESCO in the season opener on Thursday.

The Bolts started their defense of the Iowa Star Conference South Division title on a high note thanks to 24 points and 10 rebounds from Scroggins.

Baxter led 19-6 after one quarter, led 31-14 at halftime and outscored the Royals 34-24 in the second half.

The Bolts shot 44 percent from the floor despite making just 2-of-17 from 3 and 7-of-17 from the foul line.

"We know that's our weak spot right now," Damman said of the 3-point shot. "We just have to keep working on it in practice. It will come."

Scroggins, the reigning conference MVP, added a pair of steals. Treyton Travis finished with 14 points, three rebounds and three steals and Shepley chipped in 10 points, seven assists and four steals.

Sulzle collected four points, seven boards and two steals, Clapper had six points and five rebounds and Damman was held to one point but registered four rebounds, five assists and three steals. Cainan Travis also tallied four points and three boards.

Lucas Frohwein led Colo-NESCO (1-1, 0-1) with 14 points, eight rebounds and four assists.

The Royals shot 34 percent from the floor and were 3-of-17 from 3.