By Sam Parsons
The Oskaloosa Indians hosted the Pella Dutch on Tuesday night for their first girls and boys basketball action since winter break.
Girls Game
Oskaloosa’s girls entered Tuesday night’s game with 5 wins and 3 losses recorded before their holiday hiatus. Pella, meanwhile, was 8-2 and ranked 10th in the state in class 4A. The Dutch carried a 24-game winning streak over Oskaloosa into the game, but the Indians were ready to try to put an end to that long run.
Early on, it didn’t seem as though that was in the cards. Pella started strong by jumping out to a 14-4 lead in the first quarter, and at one point in the second quarter, they led by 14 points. Things would start to turn around for Osky late in the second quarter, however; the offense started to find its groove by converting on opportunities they had missed early in the game, and Pella’s hot shooting cooled off somewhat. By halftime, it was 24-18 Pella, but the Indians had gained some momentum.
Early in the second half, the Indians kept their feet on the gas pedal. Senior Dasia Foster got going, allowing the offense to continue to make up ground. Foster had a highly productive night, scoring 20 points and bringing in 13 (unofficial) rebounds. Some timely buckets from Hannah Nelson and Naomi Cole paid dividends as well, and by the end of the third quarter, Oskaloosa had trimmed the deficit to just 2 points.
After the game, Foster talked about the Indians’ slow start and how they were able to turn it around.
“I think we all came out a little nervous,” she said. “You know, it’s the Pella-Osky rivalry. But I think we finally got that out of our minds and we just started playing.”
That set the stage for a wild finish. Late in the fourth, the Dutch had managed to re-establish their footing, helped out by a red-hot night of shooting for junior Katie Scheckel, who went 5/6 from deep on her way to 20 points. Pella led 42-36 in the final minute of play.
When Osky was approaching desperation territory, sophomore Haylee Parker emerged in the clutch: Parker knocked down a three-pointer to cut the lead in half with roughly 30 seconds remaining, and some well-executed pressure by the Osky defense forced a backcourt violation by Pella with 15.0 seconds remaining. Oskaloosa got the ball back down by 3 when coach TC Cunningham called a timeout, in which he gave a very succinct message to the players on the floor.
“He just told us to run our offense, and things would fall,” said Haylee Parker after the game.
And fall it did: Parker was able to bank in a stepback three-pointer with 3.0 seconds remaining to tie the game at 42-42.
“Obviously, the three would have been great, and a two would have worked, too, because we know we can pressure them and try to get a turnover. But, I think the three worked, so we took the three,” said Parker.
“I honestly have no idea how that one went in,” she added.
Overtime, however, was not kind to the Indians: sophomore Naomi Cole left with an injury midway through, and the Dutch were able to keep their offense on track while the Indians’ offense sputtered. Oskaloosa attempted 6 free throws in OT, but they failed to make any of them. Pella ended up outscoring Oskaloosa 9-2 in the overtime period to secure a 51-44 win.
The Indians now have 4 losses this season by a combined 17 points; 3 of their 4 losses have come against top-10 ranked teams, while their remaining loss was at the hands of Indianola.
Boys Game
After a thriller to open Tuesday night’s doubleheader, the nightcap, unfortunately, played out in a much different manner. Oskaloosa and Pella entered the game with similar records: Osky was 3-4, while Pella was 4-4. The Dutch, however, were more battle-tested, and had already notched a couple of games post-winter break, while the Indians were coming in off a long layoff.
The Dutch were focused and dominant from the opening whistle. They jumped out to a 27-5 lead in the first quarter, which turned into a 49-13 lead at halftime, and never looked back. Pella’s players were able to move the ball well to set up high-percentage baskets, and their defense prevented Osky’s players from finding open looks of their own. Throw in an abnormally good night of shooting from the outside – Pella shot 30.2% from three in their first 8 games, but made 9 of them on Tuesday night – and you end up with a night to forget for Oskaloosa.
By the second half, the running clock rule was implemented, and the Dutch were able to coast to a 74-32 victory to finish the sweep.
Oskaloosa’s boys and girls will travel to Newton on Friday for their next doubleheader. Coverage can be heard starting around 5:45pm on KBOE 104.9 FM and kboeradio.com.
