By Sam Parsons
The Oskaloosa Indians returned to the hardwood on Tuesday night at Pella for their first girls + boys basketball action after winter break.
Girls Game
The opening game of the doubleheader saw Pella (#14 in class 4A) seize control early and never let go.
The Dutch got on a roll from 3-point range early in the contest, and their success from downtown never seemed to dwindle. Pella’s transition offense created a high volume of open shots, especially from deep. Going into Tuesday night’s game, the Dutch shot just 25.1% from 3-point range on the season, averaging just over 6 made 3-pointers per game; on Tuesday night, they drained a whopping 12 shots from beyond the arc.
Between Pella’s unexpected heater from long distance and their stifling defense, there wasn’t much the Indians could do. They fell behind 38-9 by halftime and the game entered a running clock scenario by the end of the 3rd quarter. Oskaloosa ended up losing the game, 63-26, falling to 3-6 on the season.
Boys Game
Tuesday night’s nightcap offered much more drama and fanfare, and Indians fans who stuck around were rewarded with a gem of a basketball game.
Pella was the 5th ranked 3A team in the state going into the game, having won 7 of their first 8 games and suffering their only loss of the season against 4A Waukee. Oskaloosa, on the other hand, had gone 5-2 prior to winter break, setting the stage for one of the most anticipated meetings in this rivalry in years. And it delivered.
Early in the game, Pella jumped out to a modest lead, which they held for almost the entirety of regulation. At halftime, the Dutch led by 7 points, and their lead increased to as many as 16 points during the 3rd quarter. Seniors Jack McGuire and Austin Schulte were pouring in shots at highly efficient rates when they were on the floor, combining for 45 points on 15/19 FGs.
However, in the process of earning that lead, the Dutch were racking up fouls. A lot of them. By the end of the game, McGuire and Schulte had both fouled out, along with senior David Garner. In total, 37 fouls were called against Pella, compared to a still-high 20 against Oskaloosa, adding up to a staggering 57 fouls called during the game.
As the Dutch began to feel the weight of their foul trouble, Oskaloosa started inching their way back into the game. They finished the 3rd quarter strong, cutting the lead down to 8 points, with the score at 53-45 in favor of Pella entering the 4th quarter.
“[Coach] McGee always tells us that we’re the toughest team in the state,” said junior guard Tommy North after the game, talking about the Indians’ mindset when they were trailing late. “We just have to believe it, and if we believe it, we can do a lot of things.”
North took center stage during Oskaloosa’s 2nd half rally. After scoring a respectable 8 points in the first half, North turned it on down the stretch, lighting up the scoreboard to the tune of 22 points in the 3rd and 4th quarters. North, Tyler Edgar, Evion Knox, and Landon Romas were all instrumental in bringing Oskaloosa back into the game.
In the 4th quarter, Osky maintained the momentum they found late in the 3rd, and by the final two minutes of the game, they were very much alive. Down by 4 points with 15 seconds left, North buried a clutch 3-pointer to bring the Indians within a point. Austin Schulte answered with 2 successful free throws to make it a 3-point game with about 9 seconds left.
Then, as North attempted a game-tying 3 pointer with under 3 seconds left, he was fouled, putting him at the charity stripe for 3 must-have free throws. He drained all 3 of them.
“I just have to thank God,” said North. “He’s with me the whole game…I practice enough free throws that you just have to believe they’re going to go in.”
North’s 3/3 trip at the line – he finished 14/19 on the night – sent the game to overtime. He finished the game with a season-high 35 points.
In the 4-minute OT period, the Indians took advantage of the Dutch eventually missing 3 of their starters (all of whom fouled out) and kept surging ahead. They claimed their first lead of the game since the 1st quarter and didn’t look back, leading by 5 points with less than 20 seconds to go. In the end, the Indians did just enough to hold on and win 81-79 in overtime.
The win was the first for Oskaloosa against Pella since February 2018. Pella had won 15 straight games over Oskaloosa in that time. That streak is officially no more.
Oskaloosa (6-2) will host Newton on Friday night for another Little Hawkeye Conference doubleheader. Coverage will be live starting at around 5:45pm on KBOE 104.9 FM and kboeradio.com.
