Van Meter boys basketball slams opener, wrestling’s Boese shines
The Bulldogs got their motors revved up in the first week coming back from Thanksgiving. (Note: Events covered Nov. 28-Dec. 4)
Boys Basketball (1-0)
The Bulldogs stepped on the floor for their first game of the year winning 71-34 over Interstate 35 (1-1) looking every bit the contender they were at the end of last season.
Turning to some physical styles of play in the absence of their most experienced scorers from previous seasons, the defense made its mark from the jump as the Roadrunners didn’t score until the second quarter. Through the first eight minutes, Van Meter held a 16-0 lead.
That stalwart performance was powered by the Michael Brothers — Michael Banks and Michael Steinfeldt — who smothered the ball all over the floor.
Banks was responsible for six steals and helped the offense in transition with three assists along with eight points on his own while making all three of his shots from the floor. Steinfeldt’s role patrolled the paint where he had eight total rebounds including five defensive grabs. He had eight points as well.
On offense, Carter Durflinger was the team’s go-to as he made a team-high 16 points after making 4-of-9 three-point attempts. The rest of the team was 2-of-16 from downtown.
Girls Basketball (0-2)
After leading for virtually the entire game on Friday, Van Meter’s score slipped in the fourth quarter as Interstate 35 (1-2) won 42-39 after outscoring the Bulldogs by six points in the final eight minutes.
Putting the Bulldogs in the driver’s seat for most of the game, though, sophomore Finley Netten led the team with 11 points and five assists. Another 10th-grader, Katie Vaught was good for eight points as she led the team with two three-pointers. And completing the sophomore trinity, Teya Speltz gave all kinds of headaches as she chased down 11 rebounds (of which only one was from offense) and made all four of her shots for eight points.
All three of those underclassmen gave the Bulldogs a strong chance at the win, but their combined forces weren’t enough to overcome the team’s overall shooting problems. Shooting 31 percent overall on the night, the hoop was most unfriendly on deep looks, as Van Meter made just 4-of-27 three-point tries.
Boys Wrestling
The Bulldogs made a journey Saturday to the Williamsburg Duals where they went 0-5 as a team in their first tournament of the season as their incomplete roster forfeited 10 matches in each dual.
Jackson Boese (182 pounds) made the most of the afternoon, though, finishing with a 3-1 mark along with one forfeit win. Two of his wins came within the first 60 seconds. His other win was a 7-5 decision, and his loss was a 4-3 decision to Marshalltown’s Nick Rebik who was at last year’s state tournament.
This article originally appeared on Dallas County News: Van Meter boys basketball slams opener, wrestling’s Boese shines
