By Sam Parsons
The Oskaloosa Indians kicked off their girls and boys basketball seasons on Tuesday night in Fairfield and came away with a doubleheader sweep, with the girls claiming a 42-28 victory and the boys rolling to a 76-55 win.
Girls Game
In the opening game of the doubleheader, Oskaloosa’s girls got off to a fast start. They jumped out to a 17-6 lead in the first quarter behind a defense that played stellar man-to-man coverage and an offense that used a lot of movement to free up their guards, a trend that would hold up for the rest of the game.
Junior Naomi Cole, the lone returning starter from last year’s team, said that the roster turnover influenced the way the Indians are approaching their offense.
“We worked well together because we lost a lot of seniors,” she said post-game. “Everything was different because, of course, Dasia Foster is gone. So we had to work around that. But it’s much easier to just get in the paint now because [defenses] were always crowding Dasia, so our focus was to penetrate, because we have a lot of ball handlers.”
One Naomi’s younger sisters on the team, sophomore Porah Cole, had a career night against the Trojans. She scored a team-high 19 points in the win, sinking a pair of three-pointers toward the end of the first quarter.
“I think I just took advantage of the open opportunities,” said Porah after the game. “Knowing when to pass, knowing when to drive for a layup, and just using my basketball IQ wisely.”
The Indians were able to keep Fairfield from making it a close game after their strong start with a defense that limited the Trojans to single digit points each quarter. Ultimately, it was a 42-28 win to start the season 1-0.
“I thought we came out and played really hard,” said coach TC Cunningham of his team’s effort. “I thought our focus was a lot better than we’ve had in our past couple of scrimmages. I liked our effort on defense and we’re looking to share the ball. All in all, it was a good team win.”
Boys Game
The nightcap of the season-opening doubleheader saw Oskaloosa’s boys rout Fairfield in a game that was controlled by the Indians from the opening tip.
The Indians showcased an aggressive, penetrating offense that was able to get a lot of high-quality looks from close range. Despite making only two three-pointers on the night, their offense was consistently putting up points, whether they were getting what they wanted in the paint or drawing fouls. Guards Tommy North, Landon Romas, and Evion Knox combined for 23 free throw attempts, converting on 16 of them.
When asked about their offensive approach after the game, North said it was by design.
“I think we did [a good job] picking apart their defense and getting downhill, getting to the rim,” he explained. “We didn’t shoot the three-ball well, but that’ll come.
“I think I shot way too many threes last year,” he continued. “I really tried to work on getting to the hoop [over the offseason].”
North finished the game with a team-high 15 points. Romas tallied 14, Knox scored 13, and Tyler Edgar recorded 10, giving the Indians four players with double-digit points.
On the other end of the floor, Oskaloosa’s defense completely stymied Fairfield’s offense in the first half. The Trojans managed only 17 points in the first two quarters. Osky was able to quickly adapt to Fairfield’s fast pace and penetration while forcing hefty amounts of turnovers. They clogged up passing lanes effectively and did not let the Trojans attempt many shots in the first two quarters.
The well-rounded effort had the Indians in front by 20 points at halftime (37-17). Fairfield’s offense woke up in the second half, but it was much too little, much too late, and the Indians cruised to a 76-55 win.
Oskaloosa’s girls and boys will host Pella Christian on Friday night for their home opener, as well as their Little Hawkeye Conference opener. Coverage will be live on KBOE 104.9 FM and kboeradio.com starting at around 5:45pm.
