Oskaloosa Boys Survive Scare From Newton

Posted on January 31, 2018February 6, 2018 by Rick Watts

The Oskaloosa basketball teams hosted Newton on Tuesday night and the two games were decided by a nail-biting five points combined. The Osky boys survived a late Newton rally by winning, 57-56, while the Indian girls battled but ultimately fell, 28-24.

The boys’ game was one where Osky hoped to get a more comfortable win after outlasting Newton in a tight 56-53 game on the road in December. But Garrett Sturtz and his All-State caliber resume would not go quietly into the Oskaloosa night.

The game was very back and forth from the start, with Newton closing the first quarter on a 9-1 run to take a 12-10 lead. In the second quarter, Osky’s offense got going and a buzzer beater layup by Cole Henry gave the Indians a 30-27 lead at the half.

After the break, things got sloppy as both teams struggled mightily to score points. Sturtz would eventually draw his fourth foul, which all came on charges offensively. Unfortunately, Osky was unable to take advantage of Sturtz being off the floor as they only increased their lead to 37-32 at the end of the 3rd quarter.

The fourth was the exact opposite, as both teams lit up the gym for a combined 44 points. Many of those came from Sturtz, who would score 22 of the 24 Newton points down the stretch. Oskaloosa would counter with Spencer Tucker scoring six points late including two free throws after the Newton bench was assessed a technical foul.

As the game wore on, Sturtz got a three-point play to cut the Osky lead to one and Rian Yates was fouled by the Cardinals with just under 10 seconds to play. After Newton called a timeout to ice the shooter, Yates missed the front end of the 1-and-1 opportunity, allowing Newton a chance to win. Sturtz drove down the floor but picked up his dribble at the three-point line and pump faked. The Oskaloosa defense didn’t bite as Sturtz attempted a tough leaning shot to draw a foul. There was no whistle, and the Indians survived.

Oskaloosa got 18 points and 5 rebounds from both Cole Henry and Jarad Kruse who were vital pieces to the Osky puzzle. Spencer Tucker also was in double figures with 10 points and added 7 assists.

Sturtz led the way for the Cardinals with an impressive 42 points to go with 9 rebounds. He shot 13 for 14 from the free throw line. In two games against Oskaloosa, the Newton senior scored a combined 86 points.

With the win, the top-ranked Indians move to 16-1 overall and 11-0 in Little Hawkeye Conference play. Newton falls to 9-6 overall and 5-6 in the LHC.

The girls’ game was equally entertaining from a competitive standpoint, as the Osky girls mounted a comeback from 14 points down to put plenty of pressure on Newton.

Marleigh Denburger, Oskaloosa’s leading scorer coming into the game, was saddled with foul trouble throughout the first half and the Cardinals built up a 22-8 halftime lead. But the Indians chipped away to head to the fourth down 27-20.

The fourth quarter saw Newton employ a stalling strategy to limit Osky’s possessions. This resulted in a slow quarter pace-wise, and forced Oskaloosa to pressure the ball as time went on. Unfortunately, the Indians couldn’t find buckets on their end to complete the comeback while Newton struggled to ice the game from the free throw line.

After the smoke cleared, Newton was outscored in a poor shooting fourth period, 4-1, but held on to beat Osky, 28-24.

Marleigh Denburger, Lindsey Holmberg, and Mary Nelson all had 6 points for Osky in the game. Nelson also had 8 rebounds. Emma Kelderman had a solid game despite going scoreless with 7 boards and 3 assists. Holmberg had 3 steals on the defensive end.

Newton was led by Taylor Ryan, who scored 8 points off the bench, all in the first half. Anna Forsyth was the engine for Newton, scoring 6 points, grabbing 7 rebounds, and getting 3 steals while serving as the lead guard for the Cardinals. Marcelina Marvelli had 5 points and 4 steals and Ali Bestell had 5 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 blocks for Newton.

Osky is now 0-18 on the year and 0-11 in the Little Hawkeye. Newton snapped a ten-game losing streak and are now 4-15 overall and 2-9 in the conference with both wins coming against Oskaloosa.

Osky has a big doubleheader on Friday on the road at Norwalk. The Indian boys dominated a very good Norwalk team early in January and the Warriors will be looking to return the favor in a matchup of highly ranked teams. The girls’ game should also be competitive as Norwalk has struggled in conference play.

Due to space restrictions, we will have AUDIO ONLY for the Oskaloosa vs. Norwalk doubleheader on Friday night. The broadcast starts at 6 PM and the girls will start around 6:15. You can hear all the action on 99.5 FM/740 AM KMZN, radiokmzn.com, and the KMZN mobile app.

Osky Boys Move to 9-0 For First Time with Slim Win Over Newton

Posted on December 20, 2017 by Rick Watts

It wasn’t pretty down the stretch, but the Oskaloosa boys’ basketball team did just enough to hold off the hard-charging Garrett Sturtz and the Newton Cardinals on the road. The Indians outlasted the late push and won by a final score of 56-53. Earlier in the evening, the Osky girls showed some improvement but ultimately fell to Newton, 50-30.

The boys’ game started with Newton slowing the pace to try to limit Osky’s chance to get up and down the floor. The Indians were still much more efficient in the offensive half, outscoring the Cardinals in the first half, 33-18, with great balance across the stat sheet.

Sturtz would ignite a comeback for Newton, however, as he would score nearly every point for his team down the stretch. The senior would finish the game with 44 points and 9 rebounds in an impressive showing while his running mates were cold from the field.

The Cardinals’ comeback would get them within two after a steal and layup on the fastbreak, but Osky’s Cole Henry hit a huge shot fading away from the left block to give the Indians a two possession edge.

Henry led the way for Osky with 21 points and 9 rebounds. The rest of the Indian offense was inconsistent. Xavier Foster finished with 10 points, but was quiet for most of the second half. Same could be said for Spencer Tucker who ended up with just 7 points and no made field goals in the last two quarters. Jarad Kruse never really got it going in the game, finishing with 7 points as well, but hit a couple of shots in the second half as the Indians tried to secure the lead.

Again, it was Rian Yates sinking a couple of free throws to help ice the game for Oskaloosa, but shots at the charity stripe continue to haunt the Indians. The finished the game shooting just 7 for 14 on freebies.

A win is a win, however, and the victory moves Osky to 9-0 for the first time in boys’ basketball history. They are also 4-0 in the Little Hawkeye Conference as we head to the holiday break. Newton is now 4-2 and 2-2 in the LHC.

The girls’ game had its ups and downs for Osky, but it was a slow first quarter that really decided the contest.

The Indians fell behind 18-4 at the end of the first. They were only outscored by six points the final three quarters, but that obviously wasn’t enough to grab their first win of the year. The girls were led by Marleigh Denburger, who had 14 points, 4 boards, and two blocks.

Osky is now 0-8 on the year and 0-4 in the LHC, while Newton is 3-5 overall and 1-3 in conference play.

Oskaloosa should have a very competitive doubleheader out of the break on January 5th as they host Norwalk. The Warriors are still unbeaten on the boys’ side and that will set the table for a battle for the top spot in the Little Hawkeye Conference as we near the halfway mark of the season. The Norwalk girls are just 3-6 and are winless in league play.

That doubleheader can be heard on 99.5 FM and 740 AM KMZN and can be viewed with a live video stream on radiokmzn.com and MCG Channel 7 in Oskaloosa. The broadcast begins at 6 PM on Friday, January 5th.

Osky Boys Survive Road Test at Dallas Center-Grimes

Posted on December 16, 2017 by Rick Watts

It wasn’t easy, but the Oskaloosa Boys’ Basketball Team was able to find a way to pull out a 56-49 victory over Dallas Center-Grimes on the road. It was a bad night for the Osky girls as they were defeated by DCG, 81-7.

The boys’ game featured two teams ranked in the Iowa Prep Hoops top ten in Class 3A with Osky coming in at #4 and DCG at #7. They played it tough throughout, but Oskaloosa will point to several areas in which they could have done better and made this one a little easier on the hearts of Indian supporters.

The first quarter saw the Indians rack up several three pointers and a fast pace against DCG’s man-to-man defense. That run saw Osky open up a 20-8 lead with a few minutes left in the first. The Mustangs would switch into a zone defense and slow the pace and fight back to a 20-12 deficit at the end of the first.

In the second, both teams struggled to score the ball with the limited possessions and few fastbreak opportunities. DCG was able to make a couple of long-range buckets to cut the Osky lead to three at the half, 29-26.

The third quarter was equally difficult for both teams to score, but it was during this period that Osky botched multiple attempts at dunks and layups, allowing the Mustangs to hang around. After the third, it was still a three point affair, 39-36.

The fourth quarter was interesting, as Osky built the lead up to nine with good defense and some made shots from outside. The game remained in the balance, however, due to poor free throw shooting down the stretch. Oskaloosa would finish the game just 11 for 22 from the charity stripe and until the last few moments, DCG was within one or two possessions. Eventually, four made free throws from Rian Yates allowed the Indians to close the game out and get the road win, 56-49.

Oskaloosa was led in scoring by Xavier Foster, who started hot and took the game over in the second half when Osky needed it most with the offense struggling. Foster finished with 17 points, 7 boards, and 3 blocks. Cole Henry and Jarad Kruse each had 10 points. Henry added 6 rebounds and 6 assists.

Osky’s boys are now 7-0 on the season and 3-0 in the Little Hawkeye Conference. DCG falls to 5-2 overall and 1-2 in the LHC.

For the Osky girls’ game, it was all Fillies from the tip to the buzzer. That included shutting out the Indians in the entire second half. The final score was 81-7. Osky drops to 0-6 on the year and 0-3 in the Little Hawkeye with DCG now 6-2 and 3-0 in the LHC.

Oskaloosa’s basketball teams are back in action at home against Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont in a battle of Mahaska County schools. The doubleheader starts with the girls game at 5:30 PM with the boys’ game to follow.

Oskaloosa Boys Victorious Over Grinnell, Girls Stumble

Posted on December 9, 2017 by Rick Watts

The Oskaloosa basketball teams were back at it in Little Hawkeye Conference play with a doubleheader against Grinnell at home. The girls started things off and fell to the #4 Tigers, 94-21, while the boys took care of business with a 76-30 win.

The girls game led off the evening and was never in question from the opening tip. Grinnell is coming off of a state tournament run last year and showed that they will be right back in the mix this year. The Tigers outscored Osky in the first quarter 37-6, but the Indians did show an improved press break and got into the half-court offense several times early. Shots were not falling and the turnovers began to snowball as the game wore on.

By the end of the game, Grinnell had the 94-21 victory. Senior Sienna Durr led the charge with 36 points and six steals. Durr also surpassed the all-time scoring mark for Grinnell Girls Basketball in the contest. Grinnell is now 5-0 on the year.

Oskaloosa was led by Marleigh Denburger, who finished with ten points. Oskaloosa is now 0-5.

In the boys game, Oskaloosa started out fast and furious en route to a 28-8 lead after just one quarter of play. The defensive intensity also was stout for the Indians as they held Grinnell to just three points in the second quarter. Osky led 45-11 at the half. The second half was much of the same, as the Indians would cruise to a 76-30 win to move to 5-0 this year.

Xavier Foster and Cole Henry both had 16 points to lead the way for the Indians. Foster also blocked six shots. Jarad Kruse was also in double figures with 12 points and he added four assists. Spencer Tucker had eight points, five assists, and three steals. The Indians are now 5-0 on the year.

Grinnell was without leading scorer Ethan Mitchell, who sat out with an ankle injury. In his stead, freshman AJ Wilkins led the way for the Tigers with six points and five rebounds. Grinnell is now 0-4 on the year.

The Oskaloosa boys will be back in action next Tuesday at 7:45 PM for a non-conference varsity contest against Washington. We will have a live broadcast on 99.5 FM/740 AM KMZN with a live video stream on radiokmzn.com and MCG Channel 7 in Oskaloosa. The girls will be back in action as a part of a doubleheader next Friday at Dallas Center-Grimes.

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