Second no more: Baxter boys claim first Iowa Star South title

BAXTER — Since joining the Iowa Star Conference, Baxter’s boys basketball team has been the runner-up four times and Meskwaki Settlement School is usually the team finishing above them in the final standings.

On Tuesday, the Bolts locked up their first conference title since joining the league and on the other bench was the historically-formidable Warriors.

Baxter is second no more though after a dominating start and an easy 77-36 home win over Meskwaki.

“It’s awesome. We can definitely celebrate and we should, but it’s hard because we have two more conference games still to play,” Baxter head boys basketball coach Zach Hasselbrink said. “We still have things to do. North Tama is still there. We still want to go through the conference unblemished. Once we take care of business over the next two and we come out healthy then we can really celebrate it.”

The Bolts lead the Iowa Star Conference South Division by three games with two to play. They are now 14-3 overall and 10-0 in the conference.

And Tuesday’s game was theoretically over early as Baxter led 22-4 after one and 37-13 at halftime.

“We wanted to come out and play our game and not think about what their record is,” Hasselbrink said. “We always talk about great starts. We know how important that is. It was key tonight.”

The Bolts, who have won six straight games, were incredibly balanced. Three players finished in double-figures and six scored at least seven points.

Nate McMinamen finished with a double-double and 10 of his 14 points came in the opening frame as the Bolts broke off a 5-4 lead with a 28-0 run that extended into the second.

Trice Clapper scored a career-high 15 points and grabbed four rebounds in the victory. He got his first points in the second as he opened the frame with back-to-back buckets and then made it 30-4 with a hook shot.

“I felt like I could overpower them pretty easily,” Clapper said. “I was able to go over and around them whenever I wanted to.”

Part of what makes the Bolts dangerous on offense is they begin the game with five guys who can bury 3-pointers and then mix in players off the bench who bring a different element to the table.

Baxter could get a bucket inside anytime it wanted against the undersized Warrior squad.

That was evident in the third when McMinamen converted a putback and then made a layup, Carson Scroggins scored inside and added a dunk, Cody Damman got to the rim for a layup and Treyton Travis scored back-to-back paint buckets.

That 14-0 run pushed the margin to 51-15. Travis scored 10 of his game-high 15 points in the third.

“It makes us harder to guard when so many guys are scoring and they all do things a little different,” Hasselbrink said. “Cody (Damman) has an uncanny way to get to the rim and if he doesn’t get a layup, he can get the ball to his friends.”

Damman found his friends a lot in this one, finishing with nine assists. He also had nine points and seven rebounds.

Clapper led an entire fourth quarter of bench scoring for Baxter. He started the period with a three-point play, then added another bucket inside before ended his scoring with two free throws.

Cainan Travis added a putback, Perrin Sulzle buried a 3-pointer and Kolton Hill canned a jumper in the fourth.

“That’s one of the reason our team is doing so well,” Clapper said. “We are so deep even on the bench. We have subs for about everyone in the starting lineup.”

Treyton Travis (15), Clapper (15) and McMinamen (14) all scored in double-figures. McMinamen added 13 rebounds and four steals and Treyton Travis collected six boards and two assists.

Rory Heer finished with seven points, four rebounds and two assists and Scroggins, the team’s leading scorer, registered seven points and two assists.

Clapper led the reserves, but Cael Shepley added three points and four rebounds, Sulzle finished with three points and two rebounds and Ben Richardson grabbed two boards and dished out two assists. Cainan Travis and Tanner Scroggins both pulled down a pair of rebounds.

The Bolts shot 50 percent from the floor despite making just 4-of-14 from 3-point range. They were 15-of-19 from the free-throw line, committed only five turnovers and out-rebounded the Warriors 48-23.

A key to the win for Baxter was holding Meskwaki (2-12, 2-9) to one shot on most of its possessions.

“One of our keys to every game is limiting the other team to one shot,” Hasselbrink said. “We know it’s not realistic to get every rebound, but that’s the goal. It felt like we got every defensive board tonight.”

Darnell Bear led the Warriors with 12 points, four rebounds and four steals, but Meskwaki shot only 26 percent from the floor, 4-of-20 from 3-point range and 2-of-8 from the line.

Notes: The Bolts wrap up conference play at North Tama on Friday night and at home against GMG on Tuesday. They finish the regular season against two South Iowa Cedar League teams — Colfax-Mingo (away) and Lynnville-Sully (home) — on Feb. 4 and Feb. 5, respectively. “I am proud of the guys. This was a group that wanted (the conference title) and went about it the right way,” Hasselbrink said. “It’s great that we clinched it, but there’s still more work to be done.”