Coe tops Central men’s basketball team in OT
Central College
PELLA — The Central College men’s basketball team was outscored 19-12 in overtime, including 11-6 at the free throw line, in an 80-73 loss to Coe College Saturday.
The Dutch (9-8 overall, 2-4 Iowa Conference) were able to force overtime despite an eight minute scoring drought in the second half. They led the Kohawks (11-6, 5-1) 51-44 with 11:58 to play and didn’t score again until forward Colby Taylor (sophomore, Creston) converted an old-fashioned three-point play with 3:49 to go to stop the 13-0 Coe run and cut the Kohawk lead to 57-54.
“We missed a big opportunity when we had a seven point lead and then didn’t score for 10 possessions,” said coach Craig Douma. “That was costly for us.”
Guard Nile Eckermann (senior, Cosgrove, Clear Creek Amana HS) then drained a 3-pointer to tie the game at 57 with 2:05 to play.
After a Kohawk free throw, two Central free throws, a Coe layup and a Coe free throw the visitors led 61-59 with 30 seconds left. Eckermann then converted a crucial layup that tied the game at 61. After a Coe offensive foul with six seconds on the clock Central had a chance to win the game, but a 3-point attempt by Eckermann at the buzzer was just off the mark and the game headed to overtime. The Kohawks scored the first six points of the overtime and led the rest of the way.
The Dutch had four players in double figures led by Taylor with 22 points on 8-of-11 shooting. Eckermann finished with 15 points, guard Aaron Rosenstiel (senior, Oelwein) added 11 points and forward Kyle Newendorp (senior, Pella) posted a double-double with 10 points and 10 boards.
“Kyle is playing hard,” said Douma. “Guys are doing a good job of finding him. He’s been really solid this year. He is doing a lot of good things and he is rebounding the ball really well.”
Coe was led by forward JT Vonderhaar who finished with 28 points and 12 rebounds. Guard Jacob Timm added 20 points and nine boards for the Kohawks.
“They did a good job of playing physical,” said Douma. “They scored on the low block.”
Both teams were able to limit turnovers and convert at the line. Central turned the ball over 10 times while Coe committed just seven turnovers. The Dutch had just one miss at the free throw line, going 17-for-18 for the game. The Kohawks didn’t shoot as high of a percentage from the charity stripe, but they had nine more attempts than the Dutch, making 19-of-27, including 11 out of 15 in overtime.
Next up for the Dutch is a road trip to Indianola to battle Simpson (6-11, 1-5) Wednesday at 8 p.m. The Dutch were 2-0 against the Storm last season, but the two games were decided by a combined five points.
“We have to make shots,” said Douma. “Our defense has been good enough. It wasn’t like Coe scored a lot of points today. It was 61-61 at the end of regulation.”
