The Knoxville Basketball Squads played Clarke a day earlier than expected, but got the desired results as the girls drubbed the Indians 66-23 while the boys had to survive a pesky Clarke squad to prevail 64-57 as heard on 95.3 KNIA. The girls bolted out of the gates with a 12-1 opening game run and gradually increased the lead to 29 by the half and put the running clock rule into effect midway through the third quarter. What impressed Coach Jim Uitermarkt the most was four players were in double figures, a far cry from Monday night’s win over Pella Christian.

Uitermarkt:
“Norah has had shots in games and they have not quite went in, so it was great to see her put up double digits tonight. Emma just continues to gain confidence tonight. So I was glad to see kids get a lot of playing time and different kids put up points and get a lot of stats.”

While Katie Keitges and Maggie Wilkins led the Panthers with 16 points each, it was the freshmen that shared the scoring spotlight as Norah Pearson and Emma Dunkin had 12 each. While the girls game was a breeze, the boys struggled against Clarke. Knoxville held a 34-22 lead at the half, but Clarke got the lead down to as few as six in the third quarter and was as close as four midway through the fourth before Knoxville made free throws and forced several game clinching turnovers. Kieren Nichols led the Panthers with 20 points, Spencer Hixon chimed in 15 and Luke Keitges had 13. The Knoxville girls are 11-1 on the season and 6-0 in South Central Conference play while the boys improve to 9-2 and also 6-0 in the conference. The Panthers next game is on the road Tuesday to Pella as the Red Rock Rivalry renews itself.