PELLA—It was blue-collar basketball with each side absorbing some punishing blows, but it was the Central College men's squad that stood tall at the end, using a stifling defensive performance to knock off the American Rivers favorite University of Dubuque 68-58 Saturday.
           
Just 7-17 a year ago and spectators during the six-team conference tournament, Central is opening some eyes with a 2-0 start in league play and is now a surprising 6-3 overall under first-year coach Joe Steinkamp.
           
Central limited the defending conference champions to a frigid 19.4% shooting in the first half in taking a 32-20 lead, and just 28.1% for the game. While Dubuque's relentless pressure forced the Dutch into 19 turnovers, Central held a decisive 48-33 advantage on the glass.
           
"We knew going into the game that Dubuque was a really physical team and the strength of their team is their rebounding, so that was what we talked about a lot," Steinkamp said. "Being plus-15 on the boards against those guys is unbelievable."
           
Meanwhile the Dutch passed out 19 assists, patiently pounding the ball inside to center Joshua Van Gorp (junior, Pella, Pella Christian HS) who delivered a powerful performance with 23 points and 13 rebounds.
           
Dubuque (6-2 overall, 2-1 conference) predictably made plenty of runs at the lead, including in the closing minutes. Central took its biggest lead at 57-42 with just 4:20 left on a Kade Terrell (5th-year, Montrose, Colo.) 3-pointer but Dubuque crept within 61-55 with 55 seconds remaining. However, Central sank seven of eight free throws to close it out.
           
"They made a little run and we called timeout and we really challenged our guys," Steinkamp said. "We thought we turned down some open shots during that time. But after that, Kole Tupa (junior, Center Point, Center Point-Urbana HS) hit a late shot-clock three, Kaleb Brand (junior, Mount Vernon) hit a big three and Kade (Terrell) hit a three in transition, which is always great to see. So different guys are stepping up. We've got a lot of different guys that can make plays. It was a great team win."
           
And that includes contributions from some team members who didn't even see the floor but helped plant the seeds for the win during the week, Steinkamp said.
           
"One of the things I talked to our guys about after the game was we had a great practice on Friday night and our guys on the (reserve) team, the guys who don't always play in the games, really took it to our (first-team) guys," Steinkamp said. "They played a Dubuque-style defense and really rattled us. They gave us a good look. I think those guys were just as important in this win as the guys that played."
           
Terrell finished with 12 points, three assists and three steals while Brand had 10 points and three assists, withe Tupa passing out seven assists to go with eight points. And forward Grant Johnson (senior, Waukee, Van Meter HS) not only remained an aggressive defensive presence, along with Van Gorp, but was key in helping the Dutch navigate full-court pressure as well as facilitate on offense.
           
"(Johnson and Van Gorp) didn't block as many shots as they normally do but they altered so many shots at the rim," Steinkamp said. "On the offensive end, Josh causes so much attention but he's always got a matchup advantage with his size and strength. And then Grant, with his passing out of the post, continues to be a calming influence on our offense. We get it to him and good things just seem to happen."
           
Central travels to Cedar Rapids next Saturday for another conference women's-men's doubleheader, meeting Coe College at approximately 4 p.m. The Kohawks are 4-4 overall and 1-2 in the conference after dropping a 74-63 decision at Simpson College Saturday.
           
That will give the Dutch a week of practice, which Steinkamp welcomes. While Saturday's win gives the team a lift, he knows the bulk of a long conference season looms.
           
"We've been in game-prep mode for a couple of weeks so it will be good to work on some stuff and learn ways to get a little bit better and a little bit tougher," Steinkamp said.