Hurley Hits Central Women’s Basketball 1,000-Point Mark

It was an effort that matched the milestone for guard Kelsea Hurley (senior, Scottsdale, Ariz., Desert Mountain HS) and the Central College women’s basketball team but in the end, it was a 94-89 double overtime defeat at Luther College Saturday as heard live on 92.1 KRLS.

Hurley rained in a career-high 32 points and became the 13th player in program history to reach the 1,000-point mark for her career, the first to do so since Laura Porter in 2009. With Central (4-12 overall, 1-6 American Rivers) trailing 81-76 and just 10 seconds left in the first overtime, Hurley coolly knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers to tie it 82-82 and force the second extra period. But Luther (10-6 overall, 5-2 conference) finally took command, outscoring Central 12-7 in the second overtime.

Hurley hit 13 of 26 shots and also pulled down 11 rebounds for her second double-double of the season and fourth of her career. Hurley’s 15-foot jumper with 4:15 left gave her 1,000 career points and she now has 1,018, just 17 behind Porter. She reached the milestone in just 73 games as the 2020-21 season was limited to 10 contests due to the global pandemic.

Guard Abby Johnson (sophomore, Ankeny) had 22 points and seven rebounds, while center Allison Van Gorp (sophomore, Pella, Pella Christian HS) added 12 points and nine rebounds.

Edwards Delivers Central Men’s Basketball Winner

Luther College (3-12 overall, 0-7 conference) nearly forced overtime Saturday against the Central men’s basketball team, but another 26 points from high-efficiency center Joshua Van Gorp (junior, Pella, Pella Christian HS) and a clutch game-winning play from guards Kade Terrell (5th-year, Montrose, Colo.) and Drew Edwards (senior, Eden Prairie, Minn.) helped the Dutch escape with a 62-60 road victory broadcast on 92.1 KRLS.

With the win, the Dutch currently stands alone in first place in the American Rivers Conference at 6-1, with an 11-4 overall mark. Central trailed by as many as six points in the first half and were down 27-23 at halftime. The Dutch pushed the pace in the second half and with 6:32 left finally inched on top 46-45. A jumper by Edwards seemed to put Central in command, 58-49 with 2:02 remaining. But Luther tied the game 60-60 with less than 10 seconds left before Edwards raced down court with the winning layup on a pinpoint outlet pass from Terrell. 

“That was a great play by Kade,” Head Coach Joe Steinkamp said. “We like to attack in those situations and not necessarily call timeout right away to see if we can get something easy in transition and he made an unbelievable pass to Drew Edwards. And Drew was able to catch and finish it. It was a great play by two seniors, really staying poised, knowing the clock and knowing the situation.”

Luther did get a shot at the buzzer that rolled around the rim before failing to connect. Van Gorp, who entered the game second in the NCAA Division III in field goal percentage (71.2), hit 12 of 15 shots. Forward Grant Johnson (senior, Waukee, Van Meter HS) had his third consecutive double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds while Edwards finished with 11 points and three assists.

Up Next:

The Central College Basketball teams host Simpson College on Wednesday in a women’s-men’s doubleheader to complete the first half of the conference season. The women’s game starts 5:30 p.m., with the men’s contest to follow at 8 p.m. at P.H. Kuyper Gymnasium. The doubleheader can be heard live on the KRLS3 stream at KNIAKRLS.com and viewed live on the Central Dutch Network via athletics.central.edu.