Oskaloosa got off to a rough start Monday night and never recovered, falling in Class 3A District 12 action to Little Hawkeye Conference foe Grinnell, 69-55.

The first quarter again turned out to be the dagger for the Indians, as several early turnovers and just one made field goal offensively allowed a red-hot Tiger squad to jump out to a 21-5 lead after one quarter of play.

Oskaloosa actually outscored Grinnell the rest of the way, but the damage was done, as the Indians would never get within 10 points after the first period.

Oskaloosa was led by sophomore Jarad Kruse, who put in 17 points and grabbed 7 rebounds.

Senior Wade Votroubek also had a nice game off the bench with 11 points.

Votroubek was key defensively, as his physicality with Grinnell leading scorer Cade McKnight forced the Tiger big man to get into foul trouble and never get into a rhythm. Typically, McKnight averages close to 19 points per game, and torched the Indians in both regular season meetings between the teams. But he only managed 6 points and 2 rebounds against the Osky frontline Monday night.

Fortunately for Grinnell, offense was plentiful elsewhere. Sam Allen led the way with 16 points and 9 rebounds. Zaine Leedom had 14, Lucas Scherf had 12, Ethan Mitchell had 10, and Brevin Hansen had 9 for the Tigers.

Grinnell (14-8) moves on to face Newton (14-8), who defeated South Tama last night, 70-52. That game will be Thursday in Marshalltown at 8 PM. The teams split their conference meetings in the Little Hawkeye this year.

Oskaloosa’s season comes to a close at 6-16, and the loss ends the careers of seniors Wade Votroubek and Austin Scholes.