Oskaloosa Claims First League Win
by Wade Steinlage
Oskaloosa–The Indian boys’ basketball team kept the faith and finally came out victorious in Little Hawkeye Conference play last week.
OHS (4-7, 1-6 LHC) dropped a 57-32 LHC decision to Pella Christian last Tuesday, but then collected its first league win on Friday, defeating Grinnell 63-53.
Outshot 45.3%-27.3% versus the Eagles, the Indians could not get much going offensively, trailing 31-13 at halftime. The offense clicked a bit more in the second half, but it was not enough to make up the difference.
Keaton Flaherty guided the squad with 18 points on 7-for-14 shooting. He and Will Schultz both tallied five rebounds as Oskaloosa was outrebounded 37-24.
The Indians committed just 12 turnovers, but only notched 10 takeaways as well.
“We really struggled to get clean looks against Pella Christian’s zone,” Head Coach Brandon Lenhart said. “They are super efficient on offense and they are just solid in all aspects of the game.”
Returning to Oskaloosa three nights later to start a four-game homestand, the Indians took advantage of some home cooking to win the battle of teams winless in LHC play.
Behind 23 points from Flaherty (7-for-12 FG, 2-for-4 3-PT, 7-for-8 FT), OHS dominated the early going with an 18-5 advantage. Unfortunately, the Tigers rallied to go on top, but the hosts responded for a 25-24 halftime lead.
Another big start put the Indians in a comfortable spot, but Grinnell bounced back and got within three in the final quarter. Aidan Scholes then stepped up, hitting several big three-pointers as part of an impressive 14-point second half; all of his points came after intermission.
Schultz joined the double-digit club with 10 points, while Jakob Stek contributed six as well.
Flaherty nabbed eight of OHS’ 31 rebounds (Scholes had seven), while also producing six assists, two steals, and two blocks.
The Indians, who shot 36.2% overall, made up for a 14-for-24 (58.3%) effort at the free-throw line.
“We did a really good job of following our game plan,” Lenhart said. “I am so proud of our guys for doing the little things and being a tough team. We are improving on both ends, including on defense and in our rebounding which was the reason we came out on top against Grinnell.”
Next Up: Oskaloosa remains at home Friday to host #6 Dallas Center-Grimes in LHC play at 7:45 p.m.
