Newton’s Garrett Sturtz scored 54 of the Cardinals 62 points, but it was not enough as the Indianola Indians advanced in district play last night 63-62.

Newton led for the entire first half, but never more than 6 points, as offense was hard to come by for both teams with the halftime score of 25-24 Newton. Both offenses started to heat up in quarter number three, when the Indians finally took their first lead of the night, but the Cardinals came back to grab a 42-40 advantage heading into the fourth. Clutch shots down the stretch, including a three pointer from senior Jack Orwig to give the Indians a four point lead with three minutes to go, allowed the Indians to bleed out the game and earn the victory. Evan Gauger led the Indians with 23 points, while Quinn Vesey put in 18. The Indians will now move on to play at Waukee on Friday in the district semifinal. The Indian girls team will also play tonight in the regional final on the road at Southeast Polk with a trip to the state tournament on the line.