PELLA—A resurgent Central College men's basketball team is showing it has more than a dominant post game.
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After center
Joshua Van Gorp (senior, Pella) racked up a school-record 48 points in a win at Coe College Saturday, guard
Kaleb Brand (senior, Mount Vernon) went off for a career-high 29 Wednesday as the Dutch swamped Buena Vista University 104-89 for their sixth consecutive victory.
Central (15-6 overall, 9-3 American Rivers) drained a season-high 16 3-point goals, including an 11-of-22 effort in the first half. Brand knocked down five, including a long-range bomb that would have been a logo three with a larger mid-court logo. Van Gorp posted his 11th double-double of the season and 18th of his career with 21 points and 12 rebounds while versatile forward
Grant Johnson (5th-year, Waukee, Van Meter HS) recorded his fifth double-double of the season with 13 points and 12 assists, matching his career-best in assists while adding four blocked shots.
"When we're making threes, we're really tough to beat so when we started hitting them, that's kind of where we went on a run," coach
Joe Steinkamp said. "The last five minutes or so of the first half, Kaleb (Brand) really got cooking from three.
Grant Johnson made some late-shot clock plays and then Josh (Van Gorp) got his steady points. It was a great offensive performance with great ball movement. We had 32 assists and just nine turnovers, so I was really happy with that."
Buena Vista (11-9 overall, 4-7 conference) kept it close much of the first half but the Dutch reeled off 11 unanswered points to build a 44-27 lead with 4:21 left and were up 61-37 at the break. Central led by as many as 29 in the second half before Steinkamp emptied the bench, with 17 players seeing action.
Brand's contributions take pressure off the inside game.
"It was a great all-around game for Kaleb," Steinkamp said. "He scored in transition, he scored from three, he scored on some drives and he got some offensive rebounds."
The Dutch sizzled in the first half, shooting 61.5% from the field and hit 54.7% for the game to Buena Vista's 50.0%. But they were held to a narrow 38-37 rebounding advantage.
Saturday the Dutch play host to No. 20-ranked Loras College in a conference women's-men's doubleheader with the men's game starting at 4 p.m. at P.H. Kuyper Gym. Live stats and a video webcast will be available through athletics.central.edu. An audio broadcast will also be offered via KRLS-FM (92.1) with Tyler Crabb calling the action. The broadcast can also be accessed through kniakrls.com.
Loras is 17-2 overall and 8-2 in the conference after an 81-66 victory at Wartburg College in Waverly Wednesday. The Duhawks rallied to edge Central 68-67 at Dubuque Jan. 6.
