Kowhawks cruise past Central men with unanswered run

Central College Athletics

PELLA—A 6-minute scoreless drought kept the Central College men’s basketball team out of striking distance as Coe College breezed past the Dutch 68-45 Saturday.

Battling injuries throughout the holiday break, the Dutch saw a full lineup return to action but were unable to find a rhythm as the Kohawks went on an 18-1 run late in the first half.

“We didn’t defend and rebound the way we needed to,” coach Mike Boschee said. “Coe got comfortable offensively and when they had the lead, we didn’t play together.”

Coe (9-4, 4-1 Iowa Conference) shot 44 percent from the floor compared to Central’s 33 percent and produced 20 points off Dutch turnovers.

“We need to be committed and more engaged on the defensive end,” Boschee said.

Offensively, guard Brock Caves (junior, Douds, Van Buren HS) led Central with 12 points followed by guard Demarco Turner (senior, Des Moines, East HS) with 10. Forward Jack Bruns (junior, Story City, Roland-Story HS) and Caves each collected six rebounds.

Central (6-6, 2-2 Iowa Conference) regroups for a matchup against Simpson College at 8 p.m. Wednesday in Indianola. After a weekend off, the Storm are 5-8 overall and 2-2 in conference play. The Dutch picked up two victories against Simpson last season.

“It’ll take some time to find our stride again, but we have good people,” Boschee said. “Hopefully we’ll bounce back against Simpson.”