Taylor grabs 21 boards, Central men’s basketball squad stifles Simpson
Central College
PELLA — Forward Colby Taylor (sophomore, Creston) corralled a career-high 21 rebounds as the Central College men’s basketball team stifled Simpson College Saturday, 60-46.
Taylor’s boards matched the second-most in school history and are the most in nearly 45 years, when former NFL star defensive end Vern Den Herder hauled in 29 in 1970. Virgil Dykstra also had 21 in 1957. Taylor’s previous high was 18. He also had 12 points for his 11th career double-double and his eighth of the season.
“We came with a mindset to rebound the ball tonight and Colby Taylor led the way,” said coach Craig Douma. “If his hands touched the ball it was going to be his rebound. He took care of the boards tonight. It was a tremendous effort by him.”
The Dutch (11-10 overall, 4-6 Iowa Conference) were able to overcome 35.4-percent shooting by limiting Simpson (6-15, 1-9) to 27.9 percent and dominating the glass, 52-37. Central’s defense allowed just one Storm player, Ryan Skaar, to get to double figures. Skaar led Simpson with 16 points.
Douma said forward Tate Handsaker (sophomore, Nevada) was a big key for Central on defense.
“Tate got his first start tonight and he got it because of his defense,” said Douma. “He did a great job defensively tonight and I’m proud of his effort.”
Guard Nile Eckermann (senior, Cosgrove, Clear Creek-Amana HS) had a game-high 25 points for the Dutch. He made three 3-pointers to bring his season total to 64, which is tied for fourth most on Central’s single season list. He is six shy of the record of 70 set by Wade Vander Molen.
“Nile kind of carried the team tonight offensively,” said Douma. “He probably took more shots than he is comfortable taking but he kind of needed to. He hit some big shots for us. Time and time again when we needed a basket Nile came up with one.”
Central was 1-5 in its last six games entering Saturday’s game, but Douma said his team came ready to play.
“Our guys brought a lot of effort and a lot of energy tonight,” said Douma. “They were locked in and they carried out the game plan really well. We forced Simpson into a lot of tough shots.”
Next up for Central is a road trip to Cedar Rapids Wednesday for an 8 p.m. battle with Coe (13-8, 7-3). The Kohawks topped the Dutch 80-73 Jan. 24 in Pella.
