The Oskaloosa Indians boys’ basketball team has had a big year and was in position to clinch a spot at the Iowa State Basketball Tournament at Wells Fargo Arena. Unfortunately, a well-rounded Mount Pleasant squad stood in the way and had other plans, defeating Osky in the Class 3A Substate 6 Final, 70-40.
Oskaloosa got off to a solid start, trading buckets early with the Panthers. In the second quarter, however, Mount Pleasant started to look for 6-foot-9 senior Tom O’Connor and started pounding the lighter youngsters of Oskaloosa down low. O’Connor led the way at halftime as the Panthers took a 30-23 lead at the break.
Osky wouldn’t make a whole lot of noise in the 3rd quarter, either, as junior guard Brady Sartorius took over the game for the Panthers. He would score most of his 22 points in the frame while MP sprinted to a 51-32 lead after three.
The fourth made the game a formality, as the Indian offense never got going. The final score of the game would be 70-40 as Mount Pleasant punched their ticket to state and ended Osky’s season.
The Indians have a lot to be proud of, however, as they nearly matched the previous five seasons of wins combined with their 15-9 record. The game ended the careers of seniors Jack Moore, Andy Sterner, Seth Crook, and J’Von Harris.
Jarad Kruse led the way for Osky with 13 points. Xavier Foster finished with 11.
Mount Pleasant will play next week at the state tourney. Joining them will be Pella, as the Dutch fought off a game Grinnell squad, 55-53. Pella and Pella Christian will represent the Little Hawkeye Conference along with Dallas Center-Grimes, as the Mustangs beat Boone, 54-43.
Newton will look to join this trio of LHC squads as they take on Johnston Tuesday night. That game is at Des Moines Roosevelt High School starting at 7 PM.
The state basketball brackets will be released during a selection show at 1 PM on Wednesday afternoon.
