By Sam Parsons

The Oskaloosa Indians hit the hardwood on Monday night for another girls and boys basketball doubleheader. It was their third home doubleheader in the past week, this time hosting the Grinnell Tigers.

Girls Game

The Osky girls entered Monday night’s contest searching for their third consecutive 3-0 start in the last three years. They were taking on a 1-2 Grinnell team that came into the season off the heels of their first losing campaign in over 10 years.

The girls game began as a somewhat sloppy affair for both sides. Both the Indians and the Tigers struggled with turning the ball over in the first half, which, combined with a good start from the Tigers in the rebound battle, allowed Grinnell to hang with Osky in an evenly played first half. The Indians held a 2 point lead after the first quarter and a 6 point lead at halftime.

“We came out flat early and let Grinnell gain confidence, and they played right along with us,” said Osky coach TC Cunningham after the game. “They’re a scrappy young group.”

The second half, however, proved to be a different story in more ways than one. The Indians began to dominate the rebound battle, which started with the efforts of senior center Dasia Foster, who finished the night with 18 (unofficial) rebounds. Foster gave the Indians plenty of second-chance points and denied the Tigers the same after Grinnell had benefitted from several second-chance opportunities in the first half.

Things improved for the Indians defensively in the second half, too.

“We weren’t putting much pressure on them in the first half,” said Cunningham. “In the second half, we made some adjustments, I kind of challenged them to play some defense, and they stepped up and did that.”

Another positive development for the Indians was their outside shooting: after their success from long range had been limited in the first two games of the season, Osky connected on 5 three-point shot attempts, including 2 from senior Gracie DeRonde, 2 from sophomore Haylee Parker, and 1 from junior Leah Cohrt. The Indians’ success in shooting the basketball played a pivotal role in their offense piling on 32 points in the second half.

The improvement on both ends of the floor led to a strong Indians finish as they pulled away from Grinnell. The final score was 54-34, giving the Indians yet another 3-0 start.

Boys Game

Oskaloosa’s boys were looking for a bounce-back effort on Monday night after falling in their conference opener to Pella Christian on Friday night.

The Grinnell Tigers seemed to have other ideas early on. Osky’s offense was slow coming out of the gate while the Tigers were able to attack the basket successfully on a few different occasions. The end of the first quarter arrived quickly with the Tigers holding a 14-7 lead, which didn’t budge significantly in the second quarter; the halftime score was 23-18 in favor of Grinnell.

But similar to the girls game, the second half of the boys game played out in an entirely different way. While Osky played solid defense on Grinnell all night long, their offense came together in the 3rd and 4th quarter in ways it hadn’t for extended periods in Osky’s first two games.

The key changes for Osky’s offense manifested themselves in the form of ball movement and outside shooting. Guards Tommy North and Heavon Knox were able to set up forwards Xavier Edwards and Grady Kool with quality looks in the post; Edwards finished the night with 12 points on efficient shooting, while Kool tallied 8 points of his own, hitting on a couple of midrange jumpers along the way. And North put together his most productive night of the young season shooting the basketball, as he drained 4 triples on his way to a season-high 17 points, 16 of which were scored in the second half.

“In the second half, our energy picked up, and that’s kind of what led us [back into the game],” said North in a postgame interview.

Heavon Knox also buried a pair of long range jumpers on his way to 10 points on the night. Osky’s 39 points in the second half were the most they have scored in any half up to this point in the season, and their defense continued to put in work the whole way through. Ultimately, the Indians came away with a 57-42 victory, improving their record to 2-1 through 3 games, and solidifying the idea that there is a different vibe about this year’s Osky team.

“Last year our chemistry was really good, we just didn’t show it,” said junior forward Ethan Stek afterwards. “This year, it’s just different. I feel like we’ve got a different edge on us right now.”

Oskaloosa’s girls are at Mount Pleasant tonight, and then both the boys and the girls will be making the trip to Indianola on Friday for their next conference matchups. Coverage of the Indianola doubleheader will begin around 5:45pm on Friday evening on KBOE 104.9 FM and kboeradio.com.

By Sam Parsons

The Oskaloosa Indians opened their girls and boys basketball conference slate on Friday night versus the Pella Christian Eagles.

Girls Game

Osky’s girls got off to a rocky start against the rival PC Eagles in a game that featured a showdown of two ranked teams: both Oskaloosa and Pella Christian entered the night as the #15 ranked teams in their respective classes, according to the IGHSAU. Pella Christian jumped out to an 11-5 lead in the first quarter, showing off an aggressive defense that applied controlled pressure, and they were winning the rebound battle early on. To make matters worse for Oskaloosa, senior center Dasia Foster entered foul trouble early, picking up 3 personal fouls in the first quarter, which resulted in her being held out of the second quarter entirely.

The Eagles took advantage of Foster being on the bench in the second quarter, pushing their advantage up to 12 points, as they led 28-16 at halftime. The Indians weren’t able to find answers against the Eagles’ defense without Foster on the floor, and generating quality shot attempts proved to be a challenge.

Nevertheless, the Indians emerged from halftime looking like a different team. Foster returned to the floor and the rest of the Indians were able to solve some of the problems that Pella Christian was throwing at them. Senior Hannah Nelson knocked down a pair of three-pointers, sophomore Naomi Cole showcased some slashing ability on her way to double-digit points, and Foster found her groove in the paint, all while the Indians began to lock down the Eagle offense by preventing easy shots.

Coach TC Cunningham remarked on the difference he saw between the two halves.

“We came out flat,” said Cunningham post-game. “[At halftime] I told them we were lucky to be down by 12…it was going to be one possession at a time, and we needed to get it done on the defensive end…then the girls came off the bench with energy, and it was contagious.”

By the end of the third quarter, the Indians had cut the deficit to 4 points, making the score 31-27, but the momentum was firmly on the Indians’ side.

The fourth quarter saw the Indians further tighten their grip on the game with their offense exploding for 21 points in the final frame. The Eagle offense was eventually able to get going late in the fourth, but it was too little, too late. The final score was 48-41 in favor of the Indians, who are off to a 2-0 start on the season.

Boys Game

Oskaloosa’s boys faced a tough challenge to begin their conference schedule in the form of a team that was coming off an 18-win season. Pella Christian had made it all the way to the district championship last season in class 2A, and while they graduated many of the contributors from that team, they still were a formidable opponent for the Indians on Friday night.

The game began as a back-and-forth affair as both the Indians and the Eagles spread the ball around nicely on offense. The Eagles held a narrow 15-13 lead after one quarter of action. However, from there, the Eagles controlled the game on both ends of the floor. In the second quarter, Osky was limited to just 7 points, and in the second half, they were unable to re-establish their footing in the game. Junior Heavon Knox broke through with 13 points while senior Xavier Edwards tallied 11, but Pella Christian outpaced them by too much after the first quarter ended. The game was 31-20 at half, and unfortunately for the Indians, the second half didn’t offer a different game flow.

For the Eagles, senior guard Deacon Branderhorst led the way with 20 points, 12 of which came from downtown and 14 of which came in the second half. As Pella Christian pulled away, it became clear that they would be the ones starting their conference schedule on the right foot, as they won in a 59-42 final.

Oskaloosa’s girls and boys will be hosting Grinnell on Monday night in another doubleheader. Coverage will begin at 5:45pm on KBOE 104.9 FM and kboeradio.com.