The Newton girls and boys basketball teams hosted Albia Thursday night and split the non-conference doubleheader heard live on 92.1 KRLS and on the KRLS3 stream at KNIAKRLS.com.

In the nightcap, the Newton boys handed Albia their second loss of the year with a 51-46 victory. The game was close throughout, with the Cardinals and Blue Demons tied at 11 at the end of the first quarter. Cade Bauer hit back to back 3-pointers with under two minutes left in the second period to give the Cardinals a 30-22 lead at the half. Newton struggled to score in the 3rd quarter, seeing their advantage slip to 36-31 with eight minutes to play, and despite missing several late game free throws, matched Albia’s 15-point fourth quarter to hang on for the five point win. For the second straight game, Landon Bozarth was the leading scorer with 17 points, helping the Newton boys improve to 6-5 overall. Head coach Jason Carter was proud to see how his team battled after two losses to Oskaloosa and Norwalk. 

“Defensively I thought we were pretty good. We gave up to many offensive rebounds, but every time they inched close, I felt like we hit a big shot.”

The Cardinal girls led Albia early, taking a 12-5 advantage at the end of the first period, but the Lady Dees outscored Newton 16-6 in the second quarter to take a three point halftime lead. In the third quarter, Albia outscored the Cardinals 13-3, and carried that momentum to a 51-36 win. Tori White led Newton with 11 points in the loss, as the Newton girls fell to 8-5 on the season. Head coach Jake Bennett says Albia’s execution of a 1-2-1-1 full court press took the Cardinals out of their offense.

“Ultimately I feel that is what led them to get baskets off turnovers. They just outplayed us in that area.”

The Newton boys basketball team’s next game is a non-conference matchup next Tuesday at Washington, while the Cardinal girls are off until hosting Indianola on Friday, January 24th.