By Sam Parsons
Oskaloosa hosted Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont on Saturday afternoon for their final girls + boys basketball doubleheader before winter break and came away with a sweep.
Girls Game
Osky’s girls were less than 24 hours removed from a tough outing at #1 Dallas Center-Grimes on Friday night when they hit the hardwood to face EBF. They were quick to bounce back from the disappointment.
The Indians played a solid game defensively, frequently forcing turnovers against the Rockets, but what lifted them over the top was the combined effort of the 3 Cole sisters. Dassah, Porah and Naomi each delivered strong games on the offensive end of the floor. Dassah found her groove from the outside, draining 4 3-pointers on the afternoon on her way to 17 total points, while Naomi finished with 15 points and a team-high 7 rebounds, successfully slashing to the basket time and time again. Porah, meanwhile, tallied 12 points for the Indians. The Rockets were led by Kinzey Lobberecht, who finished with 19 points.
A strong third quarter proved to be the difference for the Indians in the end. Oskaloosa outscored EBF 15-3 in the third quarter after leading by just 3 points at halftime. The Rockets managed to mount a comeback effort in the fourth quarter, at one point pulling within 6 points in the final minutes, but the Indians never allowed them to venture any closer than that. The final score was 49-42 in favor of Oskaloosa, who now enters their winter break hiatus with a 3-5 record.
Boys Game
Immediately after coming oh-so-close to upsetting DCG on Friday night, Oskaloosa’s boys got back to business on Saturday afternoon against EBF.
The first half saw the Indians jump out to a 13 point lead despite some sloppiness getting in the way. Some forced passes and shots kept the Rockets from falling too far behind early.
However, the Indians put to rest any thoughts that the game might see a tight finish in the 3rd quarter. Better execution on defense, combined with better shot selection and patience on offense, led to the Indians running away with the contest. Their 13 point halftime lead nearly doubled in the 3rd quarter to 25 points, and they kept their foot on the gas pedal in the 4th, extending their lead to more than 35 points to force a running clock.
Oskaloosa benefitted from three different players scoring 15 points each in Tommy North, Landon Romas, and Evion Knox, as well as consistent success on the boards, particularly from Ethan Stek, who recorded double digit rebounds. EBF’s top scorer was Austin Langstraat, who put up 16 points, 14 of which came in the first half.
The final score of the game was 79-42. Oskaloosa now enters winter break with a 5-2 record, their best record through 7 games since 2019.
Oskaloosa’s girls and boys will return to action on Tuesday, January 6 at Pella. Coverage of the doubleheader will begin at around 5:45pm on KBOE 104.9 FM and kboeradio.com.
