Baldwin High boys basketball coach Heath Cooper epitomized frustration Friday night as his team fell in its first game of the season, 71-60, to Santa Fe Trail.

The Bulldogs coach banged his fists on the floor, had to be pulled back onto the bench by his assistants and went over the top when he was called for a technical foul with less than a minute to go in the first quarter for arguing with officials.

The technical sparked a 10-0 run for the Chargers that built a 15-point lead at 27-12 and kept the Bulldogs at bay until a late surge made the score respectable.

Plus, there was the fact Trail’s junior duo of 6-foot-8 center Jake Carter and guard Shawn Conklin were too much to handle.

Conklin scored 17 of his 19 points in the first half, including three three-pointers, and Carter had a game-high 21 points, including the team’s first 10 in the second half. The younger brother of former Washburn University All-American Eric Carter also added five rebounds and three blocked shots.

Aside from his point total, Carter’s numbers were not eye-popping, but his presence in the middle kept Baldwin from doing much in the paint on both offense and defense.

“He’s a big factor for us and a big part of our offense. We really can’t do anything without him,” Conklin said. “We started early with the guards kicking it around and crashing the boards. That’s what got it started.”

Baldwin girls 52, SFT 46

The Baldwin girls won an ugly game in which both teams were in the bonus for the majority of the second half.

Santa Fe Trail's Lindsay Boss (33) tries to steal the ball from Baldwin's Colby Heckathorne. The Bulldogs won Friday in Carbondale.

Baldwin relied heavily on its outside shooting, including an impressive showing from sophomore guard Kelsey Verhaeghe. With the offense struggling late in the first half, she hit a three to give the Bulldogs a 21-19 halftime advantage. She then came out and scored Baldwin’s first seven points of the second half to ensure the lead was safe.

The Chargers enjoyed big-time performances from their top two offensive weapons — senior forward Alexis Pryor and senior guard Lindsay Boss, who combined for 28 points.

“I think this is one of the best teams in the state,” Baldwin coach Eric Toot said of SFT. “Effort-wise, we were unbelievable tonight. I don’t think you can ask a team to play any harder than how we played tonight.”