Oskaloosa Takes Down Dutch On The Road

The Oskaloosa Indians defeated the Pella Dutch on the road 72-45. (photo by Wendy VanRoekel)

Pella, Iowa – The Oskaloosa Indians stepped into hostile territory on Tuesday evening, as they faced the Pella Dutch in Pella. It’s been a place the Indians have had a tough time winning at.

The Indians shut down the Dutch 72-45, on the leadership of Senior Jared Kruse.

Kruse had 20 points and 9 rebounds in the contest. Cole Henry added 14 additional points, with Spencer Tucker adding 13 points of his own. Tanner DeKock put up 9 points in the contest.

Xavier Foster lead the Indians on the boards with 11 rebounds and 6 blocked shots. Jared Kruse had 9 rebounds.

Cole Henry was dishing it to his teammates, racking up 12 assists on the evening.

Landon VanderLeest lead the Dutch in scoring with 13 points, while Nick DeJong and Ryan Gustafson each added 10 points. DeJong also had 13 rebounds on the night.

Oskaloosa Head Coach Ryan Parker said his team wanted to “tell people what Oskaloosa basketball is all about.”

The Oskaloosa fans already know what the Indians are all about, filling the Dutch complex to beyond capacity, as fans had to be turned away because there was just too many.

“For the longest time, Pella’s had our number,” said Parker, who wanted to not only prove to the Oskaloosa fan base but the Little Hawkeye Conference that the team was for real. “It was a really good win for us on the road.”

The Indians have struggled on the road, “And honestly we struggled a little bit that night too,” added Parker. “We weren’t very sharp. We did some very uncharacteristic things. People will laugh at me when I say that because you win by 27.”

“They are happy they won, but they weren’t pleased by some of the things we did,” added Parker.

The Indians will start to take on opponents for the second time this season, and the struggle will be to keep the team focused on playing hard when you’ve already defeated a team.

Parker said that teams like Norwalk will continue to bring their best game, as the Indians have a target on their back being ranked #1 in the state.

The team is also receiving considerable attention from the media, another distraction for a team not used to the limelight.

“We’ve just got to be ready night in and night out, and understand that going into games,” said Parker.