Indians Battle The Flu And DCG
Tucker Nunnikhoven drives against the Dallas Center-Grimes Mustangs on Friday night.
Oskaloosa, Iowa – A chant from the student section pretty much summed up the week for Oskaloosa Indians basketball. “Influenza!!”
The Oskaloosa Indians were without starter Cole Henry when they traveled to Grinnell on Tuesday night, and others were starting their battle, or recovering from the flu at various points during the week.
In Grinnell, the Indians went a little further into the bench for minutes than all season, “and we just weren’t as comfortable,” said Oskaloosa Head Coach Ryan Parker.
Practices had been cancelled, and no one knew what Friday night was going to exactly be like for the Indians.
Parker knew that his team wouldn’t have the energy they normally do, so he planned on subbing players in and out to help them stay as fresh as possible. “Just trying to save them a little bit.”
Tucker Nunnikhoven and Rian Yates filled those initial starting spots for the Indians to begin the contest with Dallas Center-Grimes. “Everybody just really stepped up to the plate,” said Parker.
Cole Henry and Xavier Foster would make their appearance on the floor, but Parker says they weren’t their normal selves yet, but their time on the floor helped to overpower the Mustangs.
Both Henry and Foster were able to swat away scoring attempts by the Mustangs, adding to the level of frustration for the visitors.
The outside shooting by Spencer Tucker, Rian Yates, and Tucker Nunnikhoven all fired up on a night that the Indians needed them most.
Spencer Tucker was 4 of 5 from 3-point land for 12 points and six assists. Nunnikhoven had 9 points. Junior Rian Yates lead all scoring for the Indians with 17, splashing in 5 of 8 from 3 point land. Yates was dishing it up, having seven assists on the night.
Oskaloosa Senior Jared Kruse lead the charge under the basket, where he pulled down nine rebounds and scored 13 points on the night.
DCG struggled to find their footing in Oskaloosa, and Parker praised the fans for making it a difficult venue for opponents to visit. “Our student section and our fans are phenomenal.”
Justin Blegger lead the Mustangs with 8 points and four rebounds, with three other Mustangs each adding 5 points on the night. Jordan Humphreys lead the DCG effort on the boards with five total rebounds.
They will need those fans on Tuesday when the Newton Cardinals come to town. The Cardinals gave the Indians trouble in Newton back in the middle of December.
On Friday, the Indians will travel to Norwalk, who sits in second place in the Little Hawkeye Conference behind Oskaloosa.
