March 28, 2024

Cardinal boys clip PC Eagles in barnburner

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“It was electric. Having a big crowd behind us like that was huge and kept us up the whole game,” Newton High junior Connor Gholson said following a 62-56 win for the Cardinal boys’ basketball team.

The Cardinal boys and Pella Christian’s Eagles staged an old-fashion barnburner Friday in the NHS gym. The Eagles were up 56-54 with 1:45 left to play in the Little Hawkeye Conference showdown.

With the crowd roaring, Gholson went to the basket, scored and drew a foul. He converted the three-point play to give Newton the lead for good, 57-56. Pella Christian’s Levi Jungling turned the ball over seven seconds later.

Gholson stepped to the free-throw line to sink two attempts to make it a three-point game at the 1:03 mark. The Eagles were off on back-to-back long range shots, and Newton sophomore Garrett Sturtz pulled a defensive rebound.

Sturtz dropped in one of two free throw attempts to make it 60-56. Senior Joseph Banfield swiped the basketball from the Eagles then hit two foul shots with 14 seconds remaining.

“He (Jungling) came right at me. We knew we had to play well defensively and not let them have a shot,” Banfield said after the game.

“He was dribbling right there, and I couldn’t pass it up, so I took it. Then I just pulled up, knowing how much time was left and the situation. They had to foul me or let us run out the clock,” Banfield said.

Newton led early, but it was a game of runs by each team. Gholson’s 3-pointer lifted Newton to an 18-15 lead at the end of the first period.

Pella Christian connected on three 3-pointer attempts, and Jungling had two three-point plays in gaining a 30-25 lead with 2:40 left in the second quarter.

“It was a battle the whole way and we’re not afraid of that type of game,” Newton head coach Bill Liley said. “Pella Christian’s kids are well coached and do a good job of executing their staff. They work well together to get the shots they want. They did a great job of forcing us to really guard on defense.”

Banfield scored twice in the final two minutes to pull the Cardinals to within one point, 30-29, at the break. The Eagles pushed out to a 38-31 lead in the opening three minutes of the third period.

Back came the Cardinals. Gholson’s trey and two free throws by Sturtz cut the deficit to two, 42-40 with 1:27 left in the third. Newton faced a 44-40 deficit with eight minutes to play.

Gholson started the fourth quarter with a three pointer. A three-point play by Sturtz at the 6:50 mark tied the game at 46-all. The Cardinals bounced back into the lead, 52-48, by the 4:51 mark, but the Eagles got a three from Caleb Roose to keep it close.

Five straight free throws from Jungling, who had 22 points for the Eagles, handed Pella Christian it final lead, 56-54.

“We just kept fighting and kept the defensive intensity up,” Gholson said of Newton’s rally in the second half. “This is huge to avenge the loss there and get another conference win. It’s good for playoff seedings.”

Liley said he decided to take the reins off a bit in the final minutes of the game. He said he allowed his players a little more freedom on the court.

“It was a bit of a different strategy offensively and I think it took Pella Christian by surprise,” Liley said of the final burst by the Cardinals. “I’m proud of the kids. They’re getting to feel the excitement of this town about this basketball program.”

Gholson had five 3-pointers mixed into his 29 points for the game. Sturtz went 9-of-11 at the line to add 11 points. Sturtz had 10 rebounds, all coming off the defensive glass. Newton cashed in on 23-of-28 foul shots.

Banfield, who was 7-of-8 at the line, finished with 13 points. Newton shot 39.5 percent, 17-of-43, front the field. The Cardinals collected 26 rebounds and only three turnovers in the game.

Pella Christian got 22 points from Jungling and 11 points from Mitch Fopma. The Eagles hit 12-of-13 foul shots. The Eagles went 18-of-42 from the field for 43 percent. They had 24 rebounds and 10 turnovers.

“This felt like a playoff game,” Liley said. “It was great for our kids to be in a game like this, so it won’t be foreign to them when we do get to the playoffs. We had great atmosphere here tonight. Hopefully, we keep winning so everyone keeps coming out to support the kids.”

Newton won the junior varsity game, 52-28. Grayson Graham scored 13 points, made five assists and had six steals. Trey Vanderlaan tossed in 12 points and pulled eight rebounds. De’Andre Roush controlled 12 rebounds.

Newton was locked in a three-way battle for third in the LHC going into the game with Pella Christian. Newton, Dallas Center-Grimes and Grinnell were 3-3 in conference play and 8-4 overall. Newton and Grinnell won Friday and DCG lost.

Newton (9-4, 4-3) is idle until Friday when it plays at Dallas Center-Grimes (8-5, 3-4).

Pella Christian  15-15-14-12—56

Newton  18-11-11-22—62

Newton (FG/3-pt): Sturtz 1-9-0-11, Stout 0-0-2-0, Roush 2-1-3-5, Banfield 3-7-2-13, Gholson 5/5-4-2-29, Ventling 0-2-0-2, Maher 1-0-1-2. TOTALS: 12/5-23-10-62.

Pella Christian (FG/3-pt): Howerzyl 1-0-1-2, Jungling 2/3-9-2-22, Roose 0/2-0-2-6, Pringle 1/2-0-3-8, Fopma 3/1-2-2-11, Van Beck 2-1-4-5, Veenstra 1-0-3-2. TOTALS: 10/8-12-17-56.

Contact Jocelyn Sheets at
641-792-3121 ext. 6535 or jsheets@newtondailynews.com