March 19, 2024

Top-ranked Pella rolls past Newton boys

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Connor Gholson drained two 3-pointers to open the game for Newton High’s Cardinals. In front of a packed NHS gym, the Newton boys led Class 3A top-ranked Pella’s Little Dutch. 6-2.

The game plan was on for the Cardinals, but it wasn’t really. A basket by Jwan Roush put Newton up 8-6 at the 4:52 mark of the first quarter. It was the last time the Cardinals led in the Tuesday’s Little Hawkeye Conference contest.

The Little Dutch busted loose to lead 20-11 on its way to a 74-59 win on Newton’s Legacy Night and one of two Coaches vs. Cancer nights.

Newton made a run at Pella in the second half after trailing by 18 points at the break. The Cardinals whittled the deficit to nine points, 58-49, with seven minutes remaining in the game. They got no closer.

“When you start that poorly, it’s hard to dig yourself out of a big hole like we found ourselves in by halftime,” Newton head coach Bill Liley said.

“At halftime, I decided I wasn’t going to yell and scream and be upset about it. We’re going to go back out there and play how we practiced all week. We’re going to start over and play as hard as we possibly play.”

Pella cashed in steals, Newton turnovers and offensive rebounds into points in is first-half blitz. Newton trailed 24-11 before Joseph Banfield scored a three-point play for the Cardinals at the 6:29 mark of the second quarter.

Banfield would score two more times to keep the Cardinals within 10 points. Garrett Sturtz’s basket with 3:36 left in the first half made it 30-20, but Pella would end the second quarter on eight unanswered points.

Ryan Van Wyk connected from 3-point range for the Little Dutch. Grant Judkins had a basket then a three-point play with 38 seconds left to hand Pella a 38-20 halftime lead.

“We went out in the second half and did what we were coached to do. Our kids played hard in the second half, but it wasn’t enough because we had put ourselves in a huge hole to start the game,” Liley said.

Pella’s lead moved to 23 points, 53-30, with 3:37 left in the third quarter. Jake Bennett came off the Newton bench to drained a 3-point at the 2:20 mark followed by a basket by Banfield to trim the deficit to 55-41.

Bennett netted another trey with 32.9 seconds on the clock to make it 58-44 going into the fourth quarter. Sturtz opened the final eight-minute period with a trey and a basket. Judkins and Sturtz traded two free throws as Newton was down by nine, 60-51, at the 6:42 mark.

A field goal by Roush and two more free throws by Sturtz made it a seven-point game, 62-55, with 5:11. Sturtz took a charging foul called on Pella’s Nick Finney, and the Cardinals had an opportunity to get closer. They missed twice on the ensuing possession.

After Pella’s Jackson Scholten missed both free throw attempts, the Cardinals lost the handle on a defensive rebound. The loose basketball was controlled by Pella and Payson Vande Lune nailed a 3-pointer for a 65-55 lead at the 4-minute mark.

Newton got the deficit back to nine, 68-59, on a bucket by Sturtz and two free throws by Gholson with 1:37 remaining in the game. Will Warner drew a foul as Banfield fouled out and Liley was whistled for a technical. Warner went 1-of-2 at the line followed by Van Wyk hitting one of the two technical foul shots and Pella had the basketball.

The Little Dutch closed out the game by hitting four straight free throws in the final minute for the 74-59 win.

“Our guys always go out and compete. I found this out quickly this season. Our guys never quit on any game, any possession or any moment out there,” Liley said. “They’re fighters and we’ll keep working to get better.”

Gholson finished with 17 points, four rebounds and three steals for Newton. Sturtz tossed in 13 points, had five rebounds and four assists. Roush tallied 12 points and dished out three assists. Bennett and Banfield each had two assists.

The Little Dutch did a lot of damage at the free-throw line, hitting 23-of-32 attempts while the Cardinals were 10-of-10. Newton shot 44 percent from the field and Pella was 52 percent.

Van Wyk paced the Little Dutch with 19 points followed by Vande Lune with 13. Warner and Judkins each added 10 points.

Newton dropped to 11-7 on the season and 6-5 in LHC play. Pella pushed its overall mark to 18-1 and as conference champions stand at 11-0.

The Cardinals close out Little Hawkeye Conference action at home Friday when Norwalk comes to Newton. It is another Coaches vs. Cancer Night for Newton. The boys’ varsity game tips off at 7:30 p.m.

Pella  20-18-20-16—74

Newton  11-9-24-15—59

Newton (FG/3-pt): Sturtz 3/1-4-3-13, Roush 3/2-0-1-12, Bennett 0/2-0-5-6, Banfield 4-1-5-9, Gholson 3/2-5-3-17, Ventling 0-0-4-0, Maher 1-0-0-2. TOTALS: 14/7-10-21-59.

Pella (FG/3-pt): Finney 1-2-3-4, Vande Lune 4/1-2-1-13, Warner 3-4-3-10, Van Wyk 4/1-8-3-19, Scholten 2-1-0-5, Clayberg 1/1-1-1-6, Judkins 3-4-0-10, Pringle 1-1-1-3, Holterhaus 2-0-1-4. TOTALS: 21/3-23-13-74.

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