Wolverine boys flash promise in tough week, but earn first win

The Nodaway Valley Wolverines have opened the season playing strong basketball after a stretch of close games and inspired play.

Nodaway Valley played three games last week, earned its first victory of the season and put the Pride of Iowa Conference on notice that it cannot be overlooked.

The Wolverines picked up their first win Monday, Dec. 8, at Griswold, rolling to a 69-34 victory to improve to 1-1. Nodaway Valley followed that with a pair of close POI losses later in the week, falling to Lenox 59-56 and Martensdale-St. Marys 56-45 in overtime.

NV enters the week with a 1-3 overall record and an 0-2 mark in conference play. The Wolverines will close out the pre-Christmas break schedule with two POI games, traveling to Southeast Warren on Tuesday before hosting Wayne on Friday.

“It was our first three-game week this season and I was happy with our play,” NV head coach Mick Long said. “We played all three teams tough. I would have liked to get more wins, but we are playing pretty well right now. We had some games that didn’t go our way, but I am happy with where we’re at.”

The week began with a dominant showing at Griswold, marking the first time in three seasons that a Wolverine team earned a win in its first two games. The last occurrence was a 64-40 victory over Southwest Valley on Dec. 6, 2022.

Nodaway Valley jumped out to a 26-10 lead after the first quarter and never looked back, extending the advantage to 45-18 by halftime. Junior guard Ty Rardin led the way, scoring 23 of his team-high 26 points in the first half. Rardin knocked down four 3-pointers and finished 10-for-17 from the field.

The Wolverines outscored Griswold 24-16 in the second half. Jack Berg and Titan Foster each added 10 points.

Foster set a Nodaway Valley single-game rebounding record with 23 boards, breaking the previous mark of 20 set by James Larson in 2006. Foster pulled down eight offensive rebounds and 15 defensive rebounds.

Berg led the team with six steals and added five assists. Rardin paced the Wolverines with seven assists. Titus Hamer and Cassius Burnside each scored six points, with Hamer adding five steals.

At Lenox, Nodaway Valley erased a halftime deficit and took a 48-40 lead in the fourth quarter, but foul trouble proved costly as Rardin fouled out with more than half of the quarter remaining.

Lenox responded with a 15-0 run to take a 55-48 lead. The Wolverines hit timely 3-pointers from Berg and Foster to cut the deficit to 57-56 late, but Lenox sealed the win at the free-throw line.

Nodaway Valley trailed 14-9 after the first quarter but rallied to within one at halftime, 21-20. The teams entered the fourth quarter tied at 48.

Three Wolverines reached double figures. Rardin scored 19 points, including five 3-pointers. Berg posted a career-high 17 points and grabbed seven rebounds, hitting five shots from beyond the arc. Foster continued to assert himself on the glass with 17 rebounds, including eight offensive boards, to go along with 10 points. Parker Schneider added nine rebounds and four points.

Jack Reed led Lenox with 15 points. Laramie Stoaks recorded a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds, while Dayton Tull also finished with 10 rebounds.

Nodaway Valley closed the week with a hard-fought home loss to Martensdale-St. Marys on Friday, Dec. 12, falling 56-45 in overtime. The game was tied at 45 at the end of regulation before the Blue Devils scored all 11 points in the extra period.

The Wolverines trailed 12-7 after the first quarter but used an 11-2 run in the second quarter to take an 18-14 halftime lead. Nodaway Valley outscored Martensdale-St. Marys 15-11 in the third quarter to carry a 33-25 advantage into the fourth. Individual statistics were not available at press time.

Long said his team must learn from the close losses while keeping its focus forward.

“We need to learn what to do in those situations,” he said. “I don’t blame the kids for the losses. We’re in games this year that we haven’t been in before. We need to move on to the next game. We have two chances this week to get a win, and that’s what we’re focused on.”

Southeast Warren, the defending conference champion, enters the week at 4-1 after losing several key players from last season. The Warhawks already own a win over Mount Ayr, with their only loss coming against Martensdale-St. Marys.

Wayne, which visits Nodaway Valley on Friday, has yet to earn a win this season and is 0-5.