Counting down the top 10 moments of the Indianola athletics year of 2021-22, beginning with number 10.

The Indianola basketball team featured an exciting brand of basketball in the 2021-22 season, and were one of the most prolific passing and shooting teams in class 4A and across the state. One of their top moments of the season came in late January, during the second trip through a powerful Little Hawkeye Conference that featured eventual class 3A champion Dallas Center-Grimes. The Mustangs had defeated the Indians 69-59 in Grimes earlier in the year, and came in ranked #1 in class 3A just a game after the Indians dropped a heartbreaker to Pella Christian earlier in the week.

The game started out close, the Indians nursing a 17-13 lead after the first, but then clamped down defensively and shot lights out for the rest of the game, building a 39-21 halftime lead, and holding the Mustangs to just 38% shooting from the field in the eventual 79-49 win. Junior Drew Kingery had 21 points in the game, one of three Indians in double-figures, and the Indians outrebounded the Mustangs 41-20.

Kingery said it was the team defense that allowed the Indians to get the quick turnaround.

“Defense is all heart. We are a different team than we were earlier in the season. We just have to come out and prepare like every game could be our last and play like every game could be our last. We just have to give 100% effort, communicate, and play for each other.”

The Indians ended the season with a 17-5 record.