Oskaloosa–The Statesmen men’s basketball team made a big statement Saturday as it dispatched previously-unbeaten Avila 108-72 in Heart of America Athletic Conference action.
William Penn (6-1, 2-0 Heart) went wire-to-wire in its highest-scoring game of the year. The navy and gold led 10-2 just 1:51 into the matchup, but the Eagles (6-1, 1-1 Heart) managed to keep it close at 30-21 with 8:19 still left in the first half.
The hosts kept pushing, ending the stanza on a 10-3 run to lead 53-30 at halftime. They never let up, staying up by at least 22 points for the last 20 minutes of action (high of 42 points).
The Statesmen dominated in nearly every category, including shooting (53.7%-43.9%) and rebounding (54-37). WPU had six fewer turnovers (14-20), leading to an impressive 18-4 advantage in points off mistakes.
Even when the Statesmen struggled (10-for-25 at the line), they found success as they pulled down numerous missed attempts, both at the line and from the floor, en route to an 18-0 edge in second-chance points.
Antonio Levy (Jr., Chicago, Ill., Physical Education) paced WPU with 21 points, while six of his teammates also reached double digits.
Brady Burford (Sr., Chicago, Ill., Physical Education) and Dondre Alexander (Jr., Iowa City, Iowa, Physical Education) tallied 14 points each, while Charles Knowles (Jr., Chicago, Ill., Physical Education) and Josh Caldwell (Sr., Denver, Colo., Physical Education) added 13 points apiece.
Shane Bosek (Sr., Lowry, Minn., Physical Education) finished with 12 points, but it was Steven Roundtree (Sr., Jacksonville, Fla., Physical Education) who had the most balanced evening with a double-double of 11 points and 14 rebounds. Roundtree stole three passes as well.
Kevin Smith (Jr., Baltimore, Md., Physical Education) dished out four assists in the win.
“With Avila’s undefeated record coming into the game, our guys were very focused,” Head Coach John Henry said. “Coach Sandquist did a nice job with the scouting report, as he always does. Our rebounding was key tonight, especially on free throw box-out situations.”
Next Up: William Penn remain in Oskaloosa next Friday, hosting Oak Hills Christian in non-conference play at 7 p.m.
Story provided by Wade Steinlage
