By Sam Parsons
The Oskaloosa Indians boys and girls basketball seasons began in earnest on Tuesday night with a doubleheader versus the Fairfield Trojans. The girls team, entering the season as the #15 ranked 4A team by the IGHSAU, looked to start strong in a campaign that has higher expectations compared to previous seasons, while the boys team, in year 1 under head coach Erik McGee, sought to begin his tenure on the right foot.
Girls Game
Oskaloosa’s girls entered the season with a more favorable outlook than the Fairfield Trojans: last year, the Indians finished 11-11 with their first playoff win since 2016, while the Trojans had won just 5 games in the previous two seasons. The Indians responded to the challenge in strong fashion on Tuesday night, controlling the game from start to finish.
In the first half, the Indians defense stifled the Trojans offense to the tune of 2 points allowed in the first quarter and 7 points allowed in the second quarter. The Indians applied consistent, controlled pressure to great effect.
Head coach TC Cunningham had plenty of praise to dish out for the defensive effort he saw.
“I liked the energy, I liked the pressure,” he said post-game. “That was one of the things we emphasized going into the game, we wanted to put pressure on the ball and not reach, we wanted to move our feet. I thought we did that for the most part.”
Offensively, the Indians maintained a solid pace throughout the game with star center Dasia Foster once again as the focal point. Foster finished the game with 22 points and 16 (unofficial) rebounds. The Indians hoped, coming into the season, that the offense around Foster could be more dynamic and more able to stretch opposing defenses to prohibit double and triple teams down low; on Tuesday night, the Indians weren’t able to get into a groove shooting from the outside, but Cunningham was still encouraged overall by what he saw from the newer, younger players stepping into bigger roles.
“I thought [our young players] came out and tried a little too hard instead of doing it like a practice and letting it come to them…we just have to calm them down, let them go through the flow, but I was impressed with the way they came out and played. They played hard, and that’s what I wanted them to do.”
Freshman Porah Cole was 2nd on the team with 7 points on the night, while four other Indian players picked up at least 4 points, including junior Leah Cohrt (6), freshman Dassah Cole (5), senior Hannah Nelson (4), and junior Naomi Cole (4). Ultimately, the team effort resulted in a convincing 58-21 win for the Indians, who will carry a 1-0 record into their first conference matchup of the season on Friday vs. Pella Christian.
Boys Game
After a 4-18 season last year that saw each of their top 4 players by points per game depart the program, the Oskaloosa Indians were starting fresh in year 1 under head coach Erik McGee. Going up against a Fairfield squad that had beaten them in each of the previous two years, the motivation was there for the Indians to start the season in the right way.
Similar to the girls game, the story of the first half was the defensive effort from Oskaloosa, as they held the Trojans to just 16 points in the first half on their way to building a 28-16 lead. However, early in the second half, the Trojans bounced back: success in crashing the offensive boards led to plenty of second chance opportunities as the Indians’ offense also stalled out. The Trojans began the second half on a 12-0 run to tie the game, and the Indians were in need of a quick response.
They were able to get it together late in the third quarter, holding a 34-33 lead entering the fourth. In the fourth quarter, the Indians started to thrive in precisely the way coach McGee wanted them to: defense and rebounding.
Senior Grady Kool notched a double-double on the night with 15 points and plenty of impactful offensive rebounds, several of which came in the fourth quarter.
When asked about his effort on the glass, Kool said it all came down to him doing his job.
“I think part of it is just my role on the team,” Kool said. “I know that my strengths are rebounding and posting up, so that’s what I’m going to do, and I’m going to go 100% at it.”
As a result of second-chance points and plenty of free throws generated from a desperate Fairfield defense, which saw two of its players foul out in the fourth, Osky enjoyed their highest-scoring quarter of the night when it mattered the most, scoring 20 points on their way to holding the Trojans off for a season-opening win. The final score was 54-46 in favor of Oskaloosa.
The Indians will look for a win in their conference opener on Friday night against Pella Christian. Coverage of the girls and boys doubleheader will start around 5:45pm on KBOE 104.9 FM and kboeradio.com.
