OTTUMWA — Ottumwa head basketball coach Mike Holmes builds character first, and along the way his Bulldog hoopsters pick up quite a few wins in the process.
The Bulldogs got one of those wins on Tuesday versus Centerville on Senior Night. Ottumwa downed the area rival Big Reds, 58-42.
The six Ottumwa seniors who played their last regular season game at Evans Middle School contributed to 44 points of Ottumwa’s team total.
Holmes talked about the nature of wins and the lasting mark that will be left on his departing Bulldogs after their playing days are over.
“If I used the old Joe Paterno criteria for evaluating players, it is — ’What will those players be like in 10 years?’ That really determines the quality of team you have,” said Holmes. “Wins and losses are fleeting moments. What our kids will remember are specific moments and relationships. It’s a joy to work with them. They truly are remarkable people.”
Centerville hung tough early and led 8-6 on a Michael Kauzlarich bucket with three minutes left in the first period.
Ottumwa went on 13-3 run to take the lead for good at the 6:55 mark of the second period with the Bulldogs ahead 19-11.
A 6-0 Bulldog run, capped by a 15-footer from senior Jon Duree made the score 34-22 Ottumwa with 4:55 left in the third.
Ottumwa led by as much as 19 points and early turnovers in the third period proved to be an obstacle that Centerville couldn’t overcome.
The Big Reds committed 19 turnovers to Ottumwa’s nine.
“For a stretch of about three minutes in the third quarter we came out and just turned the ball over to push the lead to 10,” said Centerville second-year head coach Jeff Moore.
“Centerville came out to play tonight. I don’t think we executed as well as we can. We refocused at halftime and played with a little more urgency on defense,” Holmes said.
Ottumwa was 26-50 from the field while Centerville shot to a 16-32 clip from the floor.
Brendyn Hawkins led Centerville with 10 points. Conner Kirkpatrick, a freshman, had nine points, all on 3-pointers.
“I can’t fault my kids’ effort tonight. We weren’t happy with the results but we came out and competed against a quality 4A ball club,” said Moore.
Ottumwa was led by senior Jon Rusch’s 12 points. OHS senior Kip Stuart netted 11 points while Duree added eight points, as did senior Cody Thie.
Ottumwa junior Brian Delker also hit for eight points. Also in the scoring column were seniors Cory Gould and Ryan Schooley. Gould scored three and Schooley added two points.
Centerville ends the regular season with a mark of 7-13 and plays at Mount Pleasant in postseason play in Class 3A on Monday.
Ottumwa (9-11) plays its final game of the season at Southeast Polk Friday.
The Bulldogs begin Class 4A substate play with a home date versus Cedar Rapids Jefferson on Tuesday, Feb. 27.
Ottumwa 58,
Centerville 42
Cville 11 11 9 11– 42
Ottum 14 14 17 13– 58
Centerville (42) — Brendyn Hawkins 4-9-10, Conner Kirkpatrick 3-6-9, John Cochran 3-8-7, Cody Susin 1-3-4, Mike Humphrey 1-1-3, Brent Ewing 1-1-3, Michael Kauzlarich 1-4-2, Patrick Harshman 1-2-2, Cameron Hindley 1-1-2. Totals 16-32 6-8 42.
3-point goals — 4-12 (Kirkpatrick 3, Ewing). Fouled out — none. Rebounds — 19 (Hawkins 4, Susin 4, Kauzlarich 4). Steals — 7 (Humphrey 3). Total fouls — 14. Turnovers — 19.
Ottumwa (58) — Jon Rusch 6-9-12, Kip Stuart 5-11-11, Jon Duree 4-5-8, Cody Thie 4-10-8, Brian Delker 3-5-8, Cory Gould 1-2-3, Michael Wetrich 1-2-3, Nate Phillips 1-3-3, Ryan Schooley 1-3-2. Totals 26-50 3-11 58.
3-point goals — 3-8 (Stuart, Wetrich, Phillips). Fouled out — Schooley.
Rebounds — 25 (Duree 5, Thie 4, Delker 4). Steals — 10 (Gould 4). Total fouls — 12. Turnovers — 9.
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