Proving to be a one-two punch for the Trojans (1-0) were senior guards Avril Sinning and Karlyn Snider, who combined for 41 points in the win against Class 1A No. 14 Colo-NESCO.

“It was a perfect [way to start the season],” Sinning said. “I think everyone came out really well. Everyone on our team scored. Obviously, the shots were falling in tonight.

“I think [the win] helps get confidence in all the girls, not just myself. If someone else makes a shot it’s contagious and everyone else starts making theirs and it gets a flow.”

The Trojans had a slow start in the first quarter with some early turnovers and shots missing the mark. West Marshall led 10-7 but Colo-NESCO (0-1) jumped ahead with an 11-10 lead at the end of the first quarter.

T-R PHOTO BY ANDREW ABADIE - West Marshall senior guard Avril Sinning (20) shoots an uncontested layup during the second half of Friday’s basketball game against Colo-NESCO in State Center.

“I thought we came out the first half and didn’t play very well offensively,” West Marshall head coach Fred Zeller said. “We played hard defensively and got some steals and that kept us on top most of the half, but we didn’t have very good ball movement in the first half.”

In the second quarter, West Marshall found its groove and opened the quarter with a 12-5 run to take a 23-15 lead. Snider and Sinning combined for 10 points with Sinning making two of her six 3-pointers in the quarter, which gave West Marshall a 26-19 lead at halftime.

Snider continued to have a hot hand as she scored West Marshall’s first six points to start the second half. Midway through the third quarter, Colo-NESCO switched into a full-court press. The Royals initially scored four points but the adjustment backfired as Sinning’s 3-point shooting flared up as she scored back-to-back triples to close the third quarter and extend West Marshall’s lead to 41-28.

“In the second half, we were just a little bit smarter on offense,” Zeller said. “We turned the ball over unnecessarily a few times but when you are aggressive [Snider] took it to the basket pretty well. Just an overall good second-half performance offensively.”

The full-court press lasted into the fourth quarter, which helped West Marshall rack up 24 steals and take advantage of a tired Colo-NESCO team.

T-R PHOTO BY ANDREW ABADIE

The momentum stayed with West Marshall into the fourth quarter with the Trojans outscoring the Royals 18-4 and ending the game on an 11-0 run.

By the end of the night, six 3-pointers contributed to Sinning’s 22 points, while Snider came away with 19 points. Teresa Disney had six points, six steals and five rebounds, while Katy Reyerson had six points, three rebounds and two steals.

“[Sinning and Snider] were fun to watch most of the time,” Zeller said. “We had quite a few turnovers between the two of them, but they ran the floor pretty well for us. They created a lot of things even though they may not have ended up as assists. I think they put some pressure on [Colo-NESCO’s] defense out front. I thought we rebounded pretty well.

“Defensively we got a lot of traps out of those [Sinning and Snider] out-front. I think that gave us some easy baskets and frustrated their guards a little bit.”

West Marshall 59, Colo-NESCO 32

T-R PHOTO BY ANDREW ABADIE

At State Center

West Marshall (1-0) — Avril Sinning 8 0-0 22, Karlyn Snider 8 2-4 19, Teresa Disney 2 2-2 6, Katy Reyerson 3 0-2 6, Renae Schaper 1 0-0 2, Eliza Girard 1 0-0 2, KiKi Pfantz 0 0-0 0, Delaney Nichols 0 0-0 0, Avery Randall 0 0-2 0, Kate Breja 0 0-0 0, Abby Green 1 0-0 2, Olivia Gradwell 0 0-0 0. TOTALS 24 4-8 59.

Colo-NESCO (0-1) — Lauryn Hill 2 3-4 7, Emma Wilson 0 0-0 0, Megan Carlson 0 0-1 0, Gracie Kettwig 1 2-2 4, Emma Stalzer 4 4-4 12, Ayvarie Bappe 0 0-0 0, Emily Brinkman 0 0-0 0, Jenna Banks 1 0-0 2, McKenzie Niemeyer 0 0-0 0, Rylee Purvis 3 0-0 7, Izabel Voelker 0 0-0 0. TOTALS 11 9-11 32.

W.Marshall 10 16 15 18 — 59

Colo-NESCO 11 8 9 4 — 32

T-R PHOTO BY ANDREW ABADIE

3-Point Goals–West Marshall 7 (Sinning 6, Snider 3), Colo-NESCO 1 (Purvis). Total Fouls–West Marshall 11, Colo-NESCO 13. Fouled Out–none.