PELLA — Junior forward Ryan Kunkel (Solon) notched his third consecutive double-double Saturday in a 78-58 win over Wis.-La Crosse.

Kunkel scored 10 points and brought down 11 rebounds in the contest, bringing his season averages to 12.3 points and 10.5 boards.

“Ryan is off to a great start this season,” coach Craig Douma said. “He’s all in for us right now and it’s fun to see that pay off for him.”

Kunkel added four blocks and now has 18 in six games.

“Ryan’s biggest attribute to this team right now is his defense,” Douma said. “He changes so many shots and causes other teams to miss because of his presence inside.”

The Dutch (6-1) held Wis.-La Crosse (3-5) to 33 percent shooting, including 22 percent in the first half, and forced 13 turnovers.

“I’m really pleased with the defensive effort tonight,” Douma said. “We played really good defensive basketball for 40 minutes.”

Central led 37-18 at halftime but knew better than to let up after seeing a 19-point lead slip away in its previous game.

“We were very cautious in talking about the last game,” Douma said. “Our team had a different mentality coming out of the break this time and did a great job executing the game plan down the stretch.”

Central assisted on 18 of its 25 made shots and had four players score in double figures.

“We played unselfish basketball tonight,” Douma said. “We kept making the extra pass to get more open looks and it paid off.”

Junior forward Colby Taylor (Creston) led the Dutch with 18 points, adding nine rebounds and two assists.

The first big man off the bench for Central was junior forward Austin Glawe (Aurelia/Sioux Central HS), notching 12 points.

“We have a really good combination at the five spot right now,” Douma said. “Glawe and Kunkel have different strengths and play a completely different style and its working. That inside play is important to us and that’s why we are off to a good start.”

Junior guard Pete Walker (Red Oak) notched a career-high 14 points on 5-of-6 shooting, including a perfect 2-for-2 from behind the arc.

“Pete did a good job getting some transition baskets,” Douma said. “We need Pete to continue to play at this level for us to be successful.”

Douma knows now is not the time to settle.

“Our confidence is on the rise but we have to keep getting better,” he said. “We can’t relax. We are going to keep working.”

The Dutch will take the court Tuesday for a 7 p.m. tilt at P.H. Kuyper Gymnasium with Westminster (Mo.). Central defeated the Blue Jays 91-68 in Missouri last season. A video webcast and live stats will be available at www.central.edu/athletics.

“We will have to come out with a good defensive mindset and try to keep the tempo in our favor if we want to win,” Douma said.

Story provided by Sports Information Office|