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.
