By Sam Parsons

The Oskaloosa Indians hosted the Knoxville Panthers for a non-conference girls and boys basketball doubleheader on Monday night in a battle for late-season momentum.

Girls Game

Oskaloosa’s girls took on a struggling Knoxville squad and looked ready to take care of business from the opening tip.

The Indians’ offense found its groove right off the bat. They scored 19 points in the first quarter and 23 more in the second, giving them the same amount of points at halftime as they had scored in their entire Friday night win over Newton. Senior Dasia Foster was at the forefront of Oskaloosa’s attack: she scored 16 points in the first half and was unstoppable in the paint, able to snare her own offensive rebounds consistently for second and third chances at buckets.

Foster had a big night in more ways than one: early in the second half, she crossed the 1,000 career points threshold, which resulted in the game being paused for a celebration of Foster’s milestone.

Coach TC Cunningham said after the game that Foster achieving the milestone on Monday night was the result of a team effort.

“[Her teammates] wanted her to get it, so they were looking for her,” he said. “And Dasia did a good job posting up on the inside…it’s a huge accomplishment for Dasia and the girls. To have two girls in five years to come through the program and score 1,000 points, that’s big. So we’re excited for her.”

Osky’s big night on offense wasn’t just the Dasia Foster show: senior Hannah Nelson and sophomore Haylee Parker each knocked down a pair of threes on their way to 8 points and 10 points, respectively, while sophomore Ireland McGraw came off the bench and tallied 8 points.

“I thought we came out with a lot of energy,” said Cunningham. “We controlled the tempo, pushed the ball, and our shot selection was really good.”

As Osky was pouring in shots on their way to a season-high point total, their defense was able to limit the Knoxville offense just enough to never let them back in the game after jumping out to their early lead. Oskaloosa finished with a 68-47 win over Knoxville to bring their record back over the .500 mark at 10-9.

Boys Game

Oskaloosa’s boys were relatively heavy underdogs on Monday night. The Knoxville Panthers entered the game undefeated on the season, with a perfect 17-0 record that had them ranked 3rd in the most recent IHSAA rankings. All but 1 of the Panthers’ 17 wins were by double digits.

Oskaloosa was undaunted, and it showed throughout the night.

Knoxville jumped out to an early 13-5 lead, but Oskaloosa bounced right back to tie the game 15-15 before the end of the first quarter. At halftime, the Indians even held a narrow 2-point lead. The Indians responded to the Panthers’ high-flying offense with pristine ball movement and some pinpoint jump shooting from the elbows. The Panthers’ offense was difficult to stop throughout the game, as they have been for most teams this season, but the Indians never wavered in their approach and continued to compete.

Four different members of the Indians finished the night with double-digit points, led by sophomore Tommy North with 18. North was able to attack the basket successfully for much of the contest, and his drives set up shots for his teammates. Junior Heavon Knox also distributed the ball well. Senior Xavier Edwards was a beneficiary of the two guards playing well, as he put up a 14-point double-double.

Towards the end of the third quarter, however, the Panthers appeared to be on the brink of pulling away. They were up 48-41 entering the fourth quarter and led by as many as 13 points early in the fourth. The Indians had a difficult time slowing down Panther senior Landen Norris, who continued his standout season with a 28 point, 10 rebound performance, relentlessly attacking the hoop with success.

Still, the Indians were unwavering in their determination to stay in the game, and before they knew it, they had drawn back within 4 points in the final minute.

Osky’s defense managed to pull out some clutch stops near the end of the game to give them hope, and with roughly 15 seconds left, Tommy North came up with a huge three-pointer to make it a 1-point Knoxville lead. The Panthers then turned the ball over to Oskaloosa on an in-bound pass, courtesy of a questionable decision, setting the stage for Oskaloosa to attempt a game-winner; unfortunately, the Indians turned the ball back over to the Panthers on an excellent defensive play from junior Cael Cook, who jumped on an in-bound pass and eventually set the Panthers up with free throws.

That turned out to be the pivotal play that decided the outcome. Knoxville was able to make enough free throws in the final seconds to ultimately give Oskaloosa a chance down by 2 points with 4.2 seconds left to scale the floor and attempt a buzzer beater, but an off-balance shot from Heavon Knox ricocheted off the back iron and did not find the bottom of the basket. Knoxville held on and stayed undefeated by a razor’s edge, winning 66-64.

Oskaloosa will travel to North Mahaska tonight (2/11) for another doubleheader. Coverage can be heard starting at 5:45pm on KBOE 104.9 FM and kboeradio.com.