By Sam Parsons
Oskaloosa’s girls and boys basketball teams hosted the Pella Dutch for round 2 on Tuesday night, and the newest chapter of the rivalry did not disappoint.
Girls Game
Osky’s girls had been struggling entering their second matchup against Pella; in fact, it was their 63-26 loss to the Dutch in their return from winter break on January 6 that started their lengthy skid.
The Indians, however, had clearly learned some of the right lessons from their defeat in round 1, and they came out on Tuesday night looking like a different team. The Indians and the Dutch traded buckets for the entire first half: Oskaloosa had the advantage in the turnover department, while Pella picked up the slack at the free throw line.
The first quarter ended with a 12-12 tie, and at halftime, the Indians led 26-25. It was quite a different story compared to round 1, where the Indians trailed 38-9 at halftime and saw the game go to a running clock by the end of the 3rd quarter. Improved passing and off-ball movement were critical in Oskaloosa’s pursuit of the upset.
However, the Dutch began to take control of the game in the 3rd quarter and led for much of the 2nd half. Junior guards Avery Parks and Emma Walkup each tallied 8 points in the second half to help the Dutch separate themselves from the Indians, with particular effectiveness at the charity stripe: the two combined to go 10/12 on their free throw attempts.
Meanwhile, struggles at the free throw line continued to haunt the Indians, as they have for much of the season. Osky finished the game 6/16 shooting free throws, a 37.5% mark that was slightly below their season average of 39.9%.
Ultimately, the Dutch won the game 55-42, but it was closer than the final score indicated. Naomi Cole and Porah Cole were the top scorers for the Indians with 12 points apiece. The loss set Oskaloosa back to 3-14 overall this season and 0-9 in conference play.
Boys Game
Osky’s boys knew that Pella (ranked #4 in class 3A) would be motivated entering Tuesday night’s contest after they handed them their first and only conference defeat of the season back in January.
That made starting the game strong all the more important, and that’s just what the Indians did: in a season characterized by Oskaloosa frequently starting slow before rounding into form as games progressed, Oskaloosa brought a level of intensity and focus to Tuesday night’s game that not even Pella was ready to match. They jumped out to a 16-5 lead by the end of the first quarter, which ended up making all the difference.
In the second quarter, both offenses caught fire. Pella’s Griffin Simpson and Jack McGuire started pouring in shots, but Oskaloosa’s Tommy North and Heavon Knox were there to provide answers. Knox buried 4 consecutive 3-point attempts in the first half to keep Osky’s offense on track, and North was a consistent performer all night on his way to a team-high 22 points.
The score was 35-28 in favor of Oskaloosa at halftime, and the job was not yet done.
In the second half, the two teams were evenly matched. That spelled trouble for the Dutch, who were trying to climb out of the hole that Oskaloosa dug for them in the first quarter. Free throw shooting helped the Indians stave off the comeback efforts of the Dutch: as a team, Oskaloosa went 11/13 from the charity stripe, with many of those attempts coming in the second half.
Tyler Edgar and Andrew Hersom each added timely buckets down the stretch for the Indians in addition to North’s sustained shotmaking. A slam dunk by Ethan Stek late in the 4th quarter put an exclamation mark on the night, supercharging an already-electric atmosphere in the Oskaloosa gym. The Indians would win the game 68-59, securing the season sweep over the Dutch for the first time since 2017-18.
Oskaloosa’s upset victory brought their record to 11-6 on the season and 5-5 in conference play.
The Indians will travel to Newton on Friday for their next girls and boys basketball doubleheader. Coverage will be live on KBOE 104.9 FM and kboeradio.com starting at around 5:45pm.
