The Newton boys basketball team begins play in the Class 3A Region 7 Playoffs at Des Moines Christian tonight. The 9-11 Cardinals will take on the 14-7 Lions without starter Caden Klein. Klein suffered a season-ending ankle injury in Newton’s win at Bondurant-Farrar on Tuesday. 

Des Moines Christian won the West Central Conference this season, but have lost their last two games. They were beaten at home by Indianola 61-58, and lost at Winterset 62-61. The Lions have scored an average of 66 points this season, and get about a third of their points from senior Max Town. Town averages 21 points a game and has made 51% of his shots this year. Newton head coach Jason Carter has seen Town on film.

“He’s definitely one of the more talented kids we will have faced all year. We have to challenge our whole team to guard as one unit and make sure we are helping off on the right spots and putting a lot of pressure on some of those other guys to do things they don’t want to do.”

The Newton boys basketball team’s Class 3A Region 7 First Round game at Des Moines Christian can be heard live on the KRLS3 stream, with pregame coverage beginning at 6:45 p.m.