Grinnell holds off Amazing Oskaloosa in the 2nd half run to win 77-66
by Doug DeKock
Basketball games are often decided by teams getting on a roll. Friday night in Grinnell the Tigers had the final run which proved to be the difference in a hotly contested Little Hawkeye game. The game stayed close throughout the 1st half with Grinnell leading by 2, 18-16 after one quarter. The 2nd quarter was much of the same until Grinnell had a mini run at the end of the quarter to pull out to a 37-30 halftime lead. Foul trouble would once again find the Indians in the first half as they struggled to contain Grinnell’s two headed monster Sam Allen and Cade McKnight. The Grinnell duo combined for 66 of Grinnell’s 77 points. Oskaloosa was able to counter with balanced scoring and a deep bench to stay in the game.
The 3rd quarter is when things started to get crazy. Frustration was mounting as Oskaloosa was continually getting called for fouls that were questioned by the players, coaches and fans watching. The Indians would start to unravel by getting 2 technicals as Grinnell would go on a run to extend their lead to 19 midway through the 3rd quarter. Most teams when trailing by 19 on the road with numerous players in foul trouble would pack it in and wait for another day. Not this bunch; Oskaloosa fed off the adversity and started to make a move. The defense stepped up and got some stops and before you knew it the Indians had run off 7 straight points to trail 59-47 at the end of the 3rd quarter. The 4th quarter started like the 3rd ended as Oskaloosa continued to feed off the crowd and ran off 18 straight points to pull within 1 at 59-58. With the Oskaloosa crowd and players in a frenzy Grinnell called time out with 6:00 minutes left to try and regain their composure and take back control of the game. The move worked to perfection for Grinnell as they came out of the timeout to go on a 6-0 run of their own and extend the lead back to 7. The Indians appeared to simply have run out of gas after making the unbelievable 18-0 run. The final minutes would see Grinnell hit their foul shots and hang on for the 11 point win.
The Indians once again received contributions on the offensive end from numerous players. Cole Henry and Jarad Kruse led the way with 15 points each. Jack Moore scored 13 points while Spencer Tucker had 10 points. Xavier Foster and Tucker Nunnikhoven rounded out the scoring with 7 and 6 points respectively. The Indians did win the battle on the boards 31-24 with Henry, Kruse and Foster leading the way.
It is becoming apparent that this Oskaloosa team is a team to watch. The ability to win in overtime at Pella Christian, which beat Pella Friday, and battle back from 19 down to throw a scare into a very good Grinnell team, shows Oskaloosa may be in the hunt of the incredibly good Little Hawkeye Conference. Every night in the Little Hawkeye looks like it will be a battle! The Indians can learn from Friday night’s game and if they continue to improve, look out in February. Oskaloosa travels to Washington on Tuesday night for a 9th, JV, and varsity triple-header. The JV game is scheduled for 6:15 pm with the varsity to follow. The Indians then return home Friday to face undefeated DCG which is leading the conference at 2-0.
