BOYS BB: Clarinda’s third quarter too much for Wolverines in opener

The Nodaway Valley/O-M boys basketball team fell victim to a game that was truly one of two halves Monday, Nov. 27.

The Wolverines hung with Clarinda well in the first half, however the Cardinals used a decisive third quarter to build for themselves a 70-44 win on the opening night of the season at Nodaway Valley High School.

Even in the loss, NV/OM head coach Thad Tussey said his young and overall untested team has game film now on themselves that they can watch and learn from.

“The first half, we probably played the best basketball we’ve played all season in all aspects. We maybe need to start putting our game uniforms on for practice because we need to start practicing that way more consistently,” Tussey said. “The intensity and level of play we’re capable of that matched Clarinda’s physicality, their size, their athleticism, I was pleasantly and thoroughly impressed with how our guys played in the first half on both ends of the floor.”

NV/OM held an 8-7 lead at the close of the first quarter. Jacob Mangels sank a 3-pointer in the first frame that was a big catalyst for the team’s success.

In the second quarter, it was Ty Rardin’s turn, as the freshman drilled a long-range shot of his own. Dawson Nelson went 6-of-10 from the free throw line in the second quarter, getting eight of his game-high 21 points in that stanza alone.

“They weren’t making a lot of shots in the first half and we were rebounding the ball well, so we were minimizing their opportunities and taking advantage of opportunities to score,” Tussey said.

It was in the opening six minutes of the third quarter when the Cardinals went on a run. They outscored NV/OM 21-3 during that stretch, which helped them blow the game open to as much as a 20-point spread.

Cole Baumgart connected on three shots from beyond the arc in the third quarter — one thing that was paramount to Clarinda’s success during that time frame.

The Wolverines were also able to get to the free throw line in the first half. They were 11-of-18 before the break, and while they shot free throws well in the second half, going 6-of-7, they didn’t get there enough for it to make a very big impact on the game’s outcome in the third or fourth quarters. Tussey said the team’s goal is to shoot over 70% at the free throw line.

“We knew Clarinda was going to come out in the second half with a lot of energy and a lot of effort and we needed to match that. It was going to be a game of runs in the second half,” Tussey said. “Foul trouble was also becoming a concern — we had guys with two fouls in the first half, then three fouls — and the game got physical. A physical game is not great for us and a physical game played into Clarinda’s favor. Their lead started to expand when we didn’t have the bodies to match their bodies.”

Supplementing Nelson’s 21 points, Mangels finished with 10 for the Wolverines.

Baumgart finished with 16 for Clarinda; Noah Harris had 13 and Dalton Wright 10.

NV/OM had a week’s break on the schedule before playing its next game, which is Tuesday, Dec. 5 at home against Bedford.

“We’ve got some game film now. We’ll take a look at that and work on the weak spots and get better in all aspects,” Tussey said. “There’s a lot to work with.”