The Central College men’s basketball team used a pair of big performances from their big men to down Loras College 83-71 Saturday, while a late 11-0 run against the Dutch women’s squad pushed the #19 ranked Duhawks to a 69-58 decision in a doubleheader heard live on 92.1 KRLS.

In a bruising battle between two of the top programs in the American Rivers Conference, the Central men’s basketball team’s big men packed a punch. Posting a pair of eye-popping stat lines, the 6-foot-10 duo of Joshua Van Gorp (junior, Pella, Pella Christian HS) and Grant Johnson (senior, Waukee, Van Meter HS) combined for 46 points, 28 rebounds, 10 assists and nine blocked shots in the win.

ds for his third double-double of the season. Meanwhile Johnson narrowly missed recording the second triple-double in school history with 14 points, 15 rebounds, nine assists and four blocks.

There were 18 lead changes in the physical affair and the Dutch trailed by as many as seven points. A desperation 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer by Kaleb Brand sliced the Loras edge to 36-35 but Central was still down 55-50 with 11:02 to go. That’s when the Dutch post duo went to work, fueling a 21-4 run that put them in command 71-59 with 3:35 remaining. Van Gorp and Johnson combined for 16 points in that stretch.

It was more than a two-man job for the Dutch as guards Kade Terrell (5th-year, Montrose, Colo.) and Kaleb Brand (junior, Mount Vernon) each had 12 points.

In the women’s game, Loras (11-3 overall, 4-1 American Rivers) burst out of the blocks with 10 unanswered points in just over two minutes, but the Dutch remained within striking distance throughout. The Dutch trailed 32-21 at the half but a 25-point third quarter made it 54-46 and a Van Gorp layup with 3:29 remaining sliced the lead to 58-53. But then Loras put on its closing burst to seal the verdict.

Central (3-10 overall, 0-4 American Rivers) got 14 points and five rebounds off the bench from Abby Johnson (sophomore, Ankeny), and Allison Van Gorp (sophomore, Pella, Pella Christian HS) added 13 points and four assists. Guard Kelsea Hurley (senior, Scottsdale, Ariz., Desert Mountain HS), who had nine points, sits just 27 points shy of becoming the 13th player in program history to score 1,000 points in her career.                              

Both Central basketball teams return to the court Wednesday for a home American Rivers Conference women’s-men’s doubleheader with Buena Vista starting at 5:30 p.m. at P.H. Kuyper Gymnasium.