Oskaloosa Bats Down Scrappy Blue Jays
Oskaloosa senior Jared Kruse had a career sort of night, putting up 27 points and collecting 15 rebounds.
Oskaloosa, Iowa – The Oskaloosa Indians played their final game of the 2017-18 season on Friday night. A game postponed one day by bad weather.
The Bondurant-Farrar Blue Jays came out ready to play and scrapped with the Indians through the first quarter, but the Indians stretched their legs and led the Blue Jays 36-25 at the half.
Oskaloosa Head Coach Ryan Parker said he believes the Indians defense “really took over in the third quarter when they allowed only 6 points for the visitors. “That’s a really good quarter for us.”
The Blue Jays were a very athletic team, but they had difficulty overcoming the height advantage of the Indians. “Early on, I thought their athleticism hurt us. We hadn’t seen five guys that athletic. We had to adjust some lineups and some matchups a little bit. In the end, our guys really played their tails off.”
For five Oskaloosa seniors, it was the last time they would step onto their home court as a player. Spencer Tucker, Nick Harrington, Tucker Nunnikhoven, Tanner DeKock, and Jared Kruse all contributed to a solid win, with Kruse leaving a big 27 points and 15 rebound mark in the memory of Oskaloosa fans.
Parker said it was a special night for those seniors, “Because they defended their home court. We didn’t lose one game at home.That was one of our goals, and we did that.”
“That’s a credit to our fans and our student section as well,” added Parker. “They really supported us every home game.”
“Our seniors have been through thick and thin. Tanner DeKock started his freshman year and won 6 games. Those other guys came in as sophomores and won 6 games,” said Parker.
The team won 15 games last year and at least 21 games so far this year.
By the time the game with the Blue Jays was over, the team knew they were going to be taking on Carlisle at South East Polk for their chance to go to Wells Fargo Arena.
“I don’t know anything about them, Parker said with a smile. “They’ve got two really good guards. Other than that, I haven’t watched them.”
As previously mentioned, Kruse had a career night. Junior Cole Henry added 16 points to the Indians effort. He also pulled down six rebounds, seven assists, and a blocked shot.
Xavier Foster posted 11 points, 11 rebounds, two steals and five blocked shots. Spencer Tucker put up 13 points and four assists for the Indians.
Senior Tanner DeKock continued to take a charge, a stat that isn’t tracked on Iowa Quick Stats. The senior has made a career of being in the right place at the right time for the defensive play.
