OSKALOOSA — Newton High’s basketball teams went on the road one more time Tuesday before the holiday break. The Cardinal girls netted their first Little Hawkeye Conference win while the Cardinal boys upended Class 3A seventh-ranked Oskaloosa boys.
The Cardinal boys pulled away from the Indians in a strong second half to win 70-57. The teams were deadlocked at 32-all at halftime.
Newton’s girls held on for a 48-46 victory over their host Oskaloosa in Little Hawkeye Conference play. The Cardinal girls pushed out to a 12-4 first-quarter lead, and went to halftime with a 26-20 advantage.
Newton (3-4, 1-2) held a 40-32 lead after three quarters. The Indian girls used a late charge to close the gap to two points at the end.
“Our kids played hard tonight and never got rattled,” Newton girls’ head coach Brandon Sharp said. “We didn’t shoot the ball well and Oskaloosa shot better than usual. We got timely stops defensively, and timely buckets on offense.”
Randi Walters fired in four of the team’s eight 3-pointers on her way to 14 points. She also had six rebounds, three assists and two steals. Ellie Horn blocked three shots in the lane, and she scored eight points and pulled down five rebounds.
Ryanne Rausch controlled seven rebounds. Taylor Shipley had four rebounds and two steals. Dishing out two assists each were Courtney Jacobsen and Marceline Marvelli.
“It was a great win on the road. Our girls really took steps forward in not crumbling under pressure,” Sharp said.
Oskaloosa’s girls (2-4, 0-3) were led by Alexis Westercamp’s 18 points.
Playing team defense was one key for Newton’s boys gaining the advantage over Oskaloosa in the second half Tuesday. Other keys were a patient offensive mind-set and downing free throws.
“Our team defense is what sets us apart from our opponents. Team defense, taking care of the basketball and rebounding are what we do to be successful,” Newton head coach Bill Liley said. “This was a nice team win on the road.”
Trey Vanderlaan ripped the cords for six 3-pointers in the game, five came in the first half to help the Cardinals keep pace with the Indians. Vanderlaan ended up with 19 points.
Garrett Sturtz pushed the ball to the rim throughout the game, scoring 25 points for Newton. Connor Gholson poured in 16 points. Newton was 15-of-21 from the free-throw line, and they all came in the second half. Sturtz was 6-of-9, and Gholson sank 5-of-7 foul shots.
Josh Ventling added eight points, but he also handed out five assists, made two steals and grabbed five rebounds. Morgan Maher had five rebounds and three assists.
Oskaloosa had a 30-21 edge in rebounding. Newton only had three turnovers in the game.
“I don’t like the rebounding margin being that wide, but we got the ones we needed,” Liley said. “We’re becoming a really special defensive basketball team. We play defense well together. The kids take care of the ball very well, which allows us to have the scoring opportunities we need.”
Jack Moore led the Indians with 20 points. Seth Crook fired in 17 points and Cole Henry added 10 points. Oskaloosa was 8-of-10 at the free-throw line and had eight turnovers.
Newton’s boys are 5-1 overall and 2-1 in Little Hawkeye Conference play while Oskaloosa is 5-2 and 1-2.
The Newton teams haven’t been in the friendly confines of the NHS gym for quite a while — Nov. 19 for the girls and Dec. 6 for the boys. When the Cardinals come back from the break, they play three of their next four games at home.
Newton’s squads host Grinnell on Jan. 3 and Pella on Jan. 6 in Little Hawkeye Conference play.
Contact Jocelyn Sheets at
641-792-3121 ext. 6535 or jsheets@newtondailynews.com