Central Basketball Teams Swept in ARC Doubleheader at Luther

The Central College basketball teams were swept by Luther College in an American Rivers Conference doubleheader heard live on 92.1 KRLS on Saturday. A slow start hampered the Dutch women’s squad in a 79-61 loss in the opener, while the men’s team struggled to get stops down the stretch in an 80-70 loss.

The Central women (7-7, 2-3 American Rivers Conference) connected for only eight baskets in the first half, scoring just 23 points and shooting under 25% from the field. The offense found more success in the second half, as the Dutch doubled their output by scoring 38 points on 16 made buckets, but it wasn’t enough to mount a comeback. McKenzie Snook led the team with 13 points and four steals, while also going 8-for-8 from the free throw line. Emily Naughton and Abbey Bence each added 10 points, with Bence hitting three 3-pointers.

The Central men hit more 3-pointers and outrebounded Luther, but the Norse did just enough to earn their first home win over the Dutch in six years. Central (7-7, 0-5 American Rivers Conference) held a slight 39-38 edge in rebounds, while making 11 3-pointers compared to just nine for Luther. Trailing by seven at halftime, the Dutch pulled within three points of Luther 3:30 minutes into the second half, but defensive stops were hard to come by the rest of the way in the ten-point loss. Braylon Thomsen hit four of Central’s 11 3-pointers on his way to a team-high 17 points. Anthony Gott also added 16 and a team-high three blocks.

The Central basketball teams will look to rebound from the losses on Wednesday, traveling to Indianola for a rivalry matchup at Simpson College. Coverage of Wednesday’s doubleheader can be heard live on 92.1 KRLS and 94.3 KNIA, beginning with pregame coverage at 5:30 pm.

Dutch Men Take Ninth at National Dual Meet

With two more wins Saturday, the Central College men’s wrestling team secured a ninth-place finish at the NWCA Division III National Duals. Central (10-3) defeated Castleton State University (Vt.) 25-10 and then the University of Chicago (Ill.) 35-9 to finish its weekend trip 4-2.

Dutch wrestlers defeated four ranked individuals on the day. Unranked Carter West started the match against Castleton State with a 14-7 decision over #7 Andrew Marchese at 125 pounds. Christian Stanek added a ranked win against the Spartans, taking down #9 Nate Camiscioli in a 6-2 decision. Against Chicago, #2 Pierre Baldwin handed #7 Sean Conway a 17-2 technical fall and #10 Cade Siebrecht won a 14-11 decision over #6 Maksim Maukhamedaliyev.

Central next travels to Dubuque for the American Rivers Conference duals on Saturday, January 24.