By Sam Parsons
The Oskaloosa Indians girls basketball team hosted Burlington on Tuesday night for a battle of 4-1 teams. The Indians were coming off their first loss of the season at the hands of Indianola in overtime on Friday night, so they were eager for a chance to bounce back.
Osky’s defense stood out from the opening whistle. The Indians limited the Grayhounds to just 2 points in the first quarter and they didn’t surrender many easy buckets throughout the night. The defensive effort started with sophomore guard Naomi Cole, who was tasked with guarding Burlington’s star junior Mylee Stiefel one-on-one for the vast majority of the night. Stiefel entered the game averaging an even 20.0 points per game with lights out shooting (39.4% from downtown on over 8 attempts per game), but she was limited to just 10 points against Oskaloosa, including 0 three-pointers.
When asked postgame about her defensive assignment, Cole said she knew she had her work cut out for her.
“Obviously, I was going to be nervous, because I knew she was averaging about 20 [points per game],” said Cole. “She definitely gave me work, but I just thought, ‘I can’t let my team down. I can’t let myself down.’ I know I’m capable to guard their best player, and that’s what I went out and did…I was nervous at first, but I calmed down, and I think you could see it on the court.”
Despite Osky’s defensive excellence, the Grayhounds managed to stay in the game with some quality defense of their own. The Grayhounds employed a lot of 2-3 zone defense against the Indians with the clear goal of shutting down senior Dasia Foster in the paint, as they routinely placed at least 2 defenders on Foster to deny her the ball. Foster was still able to score a team-high 13 points on the night, but the offensive effort from the Indians was uneven when they weren’t able to set up inside buckets from Foster.
The Grayhounds made it a 1-point game late in the fourth quarter, at one point trailing the Indians 34-33. But Oskaloosa’s defense never let up, and a couple of timely baskets allowed them to keep the lead until the end. The final score was 38-35 Oskaloosa, giving the Indians a 5-1 start to the season.
Oskaloosa will stay home for their next matchup, which is a conference girls/boys doubleheader on Friday night versus Dallas Center-Grimes. Coverage will be live on KBOE 104.9 FM and kboeradio.com starting around 5:45pm.
