(Grinnell, Iowa) – The Oskaloosa boys’ basketball team didn’t have its full roster available Tuesday night and struggled to separate from winless Grinnell, but the Indians were able to complete the road win, 56-45. The Oskaloosa girls had a rough night against #3 Grinnell, falling 104-29.
In the boys’ game, Xavier Foster was on fire to start, scoring the Indians’ first 12 points with a myriad of moves down low and a couple of threes. Osky would close the first quarter strong and hold a 19-10 lead.
After that, however, Grinnell switched their defense into a zone, and Oskaloosa would have problems. All season long, junior Cole Henry has been the focal point of the Osky zone offense and he was one of four players out with an illness Tuesday night. That forced Jarad Kruse to move into Henry’s spot instead of his normal spot on the wing.
The difference was apparent, as the Indians succumbed to a 12-0 Grinnell run that would eventually tie the game at 19, but Osky would score the last nine in the first half to take a 28-19 advantage into the locker room.
The third quarter was much of the same, as Osky couldn’t truly grab a hold of the game. The Indians would push their lead to 15 at one point, but Grinnell immediately fought back and before the end of the quarter, had it back down to ten at 39-29.
In the fourth, the teams would trade hoops throughout, and Osky was able to finish the game with clutch free throws from Rian Yates and Tanner DeKock. The final score ended up with Osky winning 56-45.
Xavier Foster would finish with a great line of 21 points, 12 rebounds, 2 assists, and 4 blocks. Jarad Kruse would join him in double figures with 13 points, 8 boards, and 4 assists. Rian Yates was a good playmaker in his first start of the year, scoring 9 points, dishing out five dimes and grabbing three steals. Oskaloosa only turned the ball over five times as a team.
Grinnell was led by senior Ethan Mitchell, who had 18 points and 6 rebounds.
Oskaloosa moves to 14-1 on the season and 9-0 in the Little Hawkeye Conference. Grinnell is now 0-14 overall and 0-9 in the LHC.
The girls’ game was quite the opposite, as the highly ranked Grinnell girls dominated throughout en route to a 104-29 victory over winless Oskaloosa.
Naomi Jackson was the hot hand, scoring a career high of 35 points. Sienna Durr added 20 for the Tigers, who are now 15-1 overall and 8-1 in conference play. Oskaloosa was led by Marleigh Denburger, who finished with 8 points and 7 rebounds. Osky is now 0-16 overall and 0-9 in the conference.
Oskaloosa will be back in action Friday night at home against Dallas Center-Grimes. The game can be seen on radiokmzn.com and MCG Channel 7 in Osky. The radio broadcast can be found on 99.5 FM/740 AM KMZN and the KMZN mobile app. The pregame show starts at 6 PM with the girls starting the doubleheader at 6:15.