Although it was much closer than the first time the two teams met on Jan. 11, the Newton girls basketball team just couldn’t figure a way around Oskaloosa once again.

The Cardinals (7-12, 2-8 Little Hawkeye Conference) chipped away at the Indians’ lead for most of the game, getting as close as four points, but weren’t able to finish the job, falling 54-41 Tuesday night.

“We got it close, but then we had some mental errors on defense and allowed them to push it right back up,” Newton coach Brandon Sharp said. “But I’m happy with the effort our girls always give.”