Newton boys complete season sweep of Oskaloosa

OSKALOOSA — Brody Bauer took care of the first half and Adam Mattes and Cole Plowman got Newton’s boys basketball team to the finish line during a 64-58 road win over Oskaloosa on Tuesday night.

The Cardinals got off to a fast start and overcame a late Indians’ rally in the Little Hawkeye Conference contest.

“We will never be mad about a road win,” Newton boys basketball coach Jason Carter said. “We got off to a good start and adjusted to some adversity at the end. We gutted it out and found a way to win.”

Newton led 16-9 after one quarter. The Cardinals outscored Oskaloosa 14-13 in the second and 17-16 in the third.

The Indians rallied to tie the score midway through the fourth, but Newton recovered in time to pull away in the final minutes.

“They made six 3-pointers in the second half,” Carter said. “They started making shots. Give credit to them for that.”

Newton (8-5 overall, 5-4 in conference play) had four players in double-figures.

Adam Mattes scored 11 of his team-high 18 points in the second half and Brody Bauer put in 11 of his 13 in the first half. Mattes also grabbed five rebounds and delivered two assists and Bauer registered four rebounds and two assists.

Bauer connected on a pair of treys in the first quarter to get the Cardinals going.

“It was good to see him make some early. We needed that,” Carter said.

Plowman scored eight of his 11 in the second half and Tade Vanderlaan put in a career-best 11 points and added six rebounds and two steals. Plowman also pulled down six boards.

Vanderlaan began the season as a starter but has since moved to the bench. The Newton junior has scored 43 of his 49 points this season in the past five games.

“He loves the role he is playing now,” Carter said of Vanderlaan. “He’s been shooting the ball well and it gives us a boost.”

The Cardinals, who have won three of their last four games, shot 57.5 percent from the floor, 9-of-19 from 3-point range and 9-of-12 from the free-throw line. They out-rebounded Oskaloosa 27-15.

Jake Ingle put in seven points, grabbed two boards and dished out seven assists for the Cardinals.

Oskaloosa (4-10, 1-8) shot 46.8 percent from the floor, 6-of-20 from 3-point range and 8-of-13 from the line.