Smith reaches 1,000 in Central men’s basketball rout
Central Dutch Athletics
PELLA—Forward Kyle Smith (senior, New Hampton) became the 29th member of Central College’s men’s basketball 1,000-point club as the Dutch coasted past Faith Baptist 110-37 Thursday night.
The 73-point victory margin was the second-largest in school history, eclipsing an 85-16 thrashing of Simpson in 1910-11. The all-time mark was a 110-37 victory over Iowa Success in 1947-48. Central’s point total was its 10th-highest ever.
Smith, Central’s second-leading scorer with 13.9 points per game, needed 12 points to reach the milestone and got exactly that, knocking down a 3-pointer early in the second half.
“That’s a great honor for Kyle,” coach Craig Douma said. “He’s very deserving and it’s good to see him get some recognition. He’s had a great four-year varsity career.”
Forward Malik Wildermuth (senior, Normal, Ill., University HS) forced his way into the record books as well with eight steals, despite playing just 15 minutes. The previous mark of six was set by Scott Veldhuizen in 2003.
The Dutch (3-6), meanwhile, ended the suspense early, burying their first nine shots en route to a 29-3 lead. Central shot 61.5 percent from the floor, including nine of 16 from 3-point range, in sprinting to a 57-11 halftime advantage.
“I was really pleased with how well we shot the ball,” Douma said. “I thought we played focused and took care of business right from the get-go.”
Central shot 51.8 percent for the night while Faith Baptist (2-11) hit 26.7 percent. The Dutch held a 51-35 rebound advantage and forced 32 turnovers.
Douma used 16 players and 15 scored, with guard Seth Wood (sophomore, Branson, Mo.) topping the charts with 17 on 6-of-8 shooting, including five 3-pointers. Wildermuth had 16 points with six assists while guard Jaden Moody (sophomore, Cambridge, Ballard HS) had 12. Center Luke Posivio (senior, Iowa City, City HS) came off the bench to snare a game-high 10 rebounds.
The Dutch finished final fall-semester exams earlier in the day and, with a Saturday contest with nationally ranked Augustana College (Ill.) looming, Douma thought Thursday’s game for the team to regain its basketball legs.
“I was worried about the guys being a little tired and not as sharp,” he said. “These last two weeks have been tough, especially with a road trip to (Washington-St. Louis) the weekend before finals. But they handled it really well.
“It was great game to get a lot of players in. It was just fun to recognize the guys who haven’t gotten in much this year and give them an opportunity to really play some significant minutes, contribute and feel a part of it.”
The competition level takes a huge leap Saturday as Central closes out the 2017 calendar year home schedule by taking on Augustana at 3 p.m. at P.H. Kuyper Gymnasium. The Vikings (7-1) are ranked No. 3 in the d3hoops.com poll and soared past Rockford College (Ill.) Wednesday night, 109-51.
Preparation started Thursday night, Douma said.
“Our focus was get ready for Saturday,” he said. “Do the little things right. Play the right way, set the tone for Saturday.”
Four players average in double figures for Augustana, which outscored the Dutch last year 88-73 at Rock Island, Illinois. But in the teams’ most recent Pella meeting, Dec. 3, 2014, Central stunned the No. 1-rated Vikings 89-78. Augustana leads the all-time series, 14-4.
Douma said the scouting report paints a frightening picture.
“Their whole team returns from last year,” he said. “They’ve got so much size. They start a player who’s 6-11 and they’ve got two 6-9 players who come off the bench. They’ve got one of the best guard courts we’ll see all year and they really defend. They’ll be one of the better defensive teams we’ll face.
“We’ve got to be able to shoot the ball well to have a chance.”
