The Newton boys basketball team ended a three game losing streak at Oskaloosa Friday night, while the Cardinal girls continued to struggle offensively and suffered another loss, as heard on the KRLS3 stream.
The Newton boys won a tight game against the Indians 52-48. Senior Creighton Andrew stole an Oskaloosa pass with 2:34 left in the game and was fouled on the way to the basket. He hit one of two free throws to tie the game at 43. The Cardinals took the lead for good at 45-43 on a Landon Bozarth basket, off an assist by Caden Klein with 1:30 left in the game. Oskaloosa got within one point, but Bozarth hit a three-point basket with one minute left to push the lead to four and Cade Bauer hit two late free throws to seal the victory. Newton coach Jason Carter said the team needed the win, and his seniors stepped up in a big way.
“I thought our seniors really came to play tonight, especially Creighton Andrew. I challenged him and Christian Ergenbright to be a lot more aggressive on the offense end and they both did, scoring well above their averages tonight. That made a big difference.”
Andrew scored 18 points and Bozarth added 11 points to lead Newton. The Cardinal boys are now 9-8 overall and 4-6 in conference games. Their next game is at Norwalk this coming Tuesday
The Newton girls lost their seventh straight game, as Oskaloosa avenged their loss at Newton High School with a 42-31 home win. The Cardinals trailed 17-10 after the first quarter and 24-15 at half. The Indians outscored Newton 18-16 the rest of the game. Cardinals coach Jake Bennett says while the offense is struggling, the team’s playing good defense.
“I think we are playing our best defensive basketball right now. That’s a really good thing. It’s tough when you are losing games to find some positives, and that’s a really big positive we see in our girls and are telling them right now.”
Tori White led Newton with eight points. The Cardinal girls are 8-10 on the year and 2-9 in the conference. They play at Des Moines North at 2:30 this afternoon.