Girls Game
NEW SHARON – North Mahaska, ranked second in Class 2A, showed some signs of fatigue Tuesday but took care of Colfax-Mingo, 54-28. The victory moved North Mahaska to 6-0 overall and 4-0 in the South Iowa Cedar League.
North Mahaska shot just 30 percent from the field hitting 22-for-71 shots but missed several shots in the paint.
North Mahaska was coming off two wins over ranked teams in four days. They played at No. 13 Lynnville-Sully Friday and Class 3A No. 9 PCM Monday.
“Playing two ranked teams in a row was tough,” said NM coach L.E. Moore. “It was draining physically and emotionally. We did what we had to do.”
Nine Warhawks scored in the contest. Sydney Andersen led with 11 points and added five rebounds. Breckyn Schilling also reached double figures with 10 points. She grabbed six rebounds, four steals and two assists.
Two other Warhawks just missed double figures. Kayla Readshaw and Nataliya Linder each scored nine points.
Despite the 26-point win, Moore said Colfax-Mingo is a team to watch in the future.
“They are going to be tough in the future,” said Moore. “They had a nice sophomore point guard and freshman forward.”
North Mahaska forced 30 turnovers, 23 of them off steals. Linder and Readshaw accounted for five apiece. Regan Grewe and Schilling each recorded four steals. The Warhawks also shared the basketball. Aly Steil, Linder and Readshaw each doled out three assists.
Katelynn Steenhoek led Colfax-Mingo in scoring with 11 points. Victoria Woods added six. Lydia Hansen grabbed nine rebounds.
North Mahaska will close out the first half of the season with a nonconference tilt at Moravia Friday. They will return to action Jan. 3 against Belle Plaine and will host current Class 2A No. 1 Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont on Jan. 6.
Boys Game
Luke Nunnikhoven was on fire to start Tuesday’s South Iowa Cedar League contest against Colfax-Mingo. The North Mahaska senior scored 10 points in the first quarter and finished with 20 to lead the Warhawks to a 70-33 victory. Every player in the game for the Warhawks scored except one.
Nunnikhoven’s effort in the first period matched Colfax-Mingo as NM rolled out to a 24-10 lead to set the tone of the game. Jaxon VanDerVeer tossed in a pair of 3-pointers to help the run. Six Warhawks scored five points or more. The victory came off the heels of a physical game Monday at PCM.
“We played good team basketball,” said NM coach Kevin Kelderman. “We were missing a couple guys, but it was good to see some other guys step up.”
Senior Gabe Hora also reached double figures with 16 points to go with six rebounds, four steals and block. Asher DeBoef had a quiet night with nine points, six rebounds, three assists and a steal. VanDerVeer finished with eight. Luke Boender came off the bench to score six and Dane Van Mersbergen added five.
Kelderman, who is in his first year as head basketball coach, fells his team is where he wants them to be as they near the mid-point of the season.
“We did some really good things,” said Kelderman. “I like where we are at. We are making strides in moving and we are getting better at moving off the screens. I don’t like when we just stand there and wait to get the ball for a 3-pointer like they do in the NBA.
“We played really good team basketball tonight. We have things to work on.”
North Mahaska, 5-1 overall and 4-0 in league play, will close out the pre-holiday season at Moravia Friday.
