Van Meter boys hoops continue streak, Boese places second

Sean Cordy
·4 min read
Van Meter's Carter Durflinger puts up a shot during a game against Panorama on Friday, Jan. 13, 2023.
Van Meter's Carter Durflinger puts up a shot during a game against Panorama on Friday, Jan. 13, 2023.

The Bulldogs were able to pull away with a couple of big wins this week, but also have a couple to look back on what to change heading into the final weeks of the regular season. (Note: Events covered Jan. 9-15.)

Boys Basketball (10-2)

More than halfway through the conference slate, the Bulldogs are undefeated in conference action now with a 10-0 mark thanks to two more wins this week- landing on different ends of the spectrum. First came a rematch of the season-opener with Interstate 35 (4-7).

Despite playing in a road atmosphere, the Bulldogs were able to improve on their previous meeting with the Roadrunners, taking them down 70-28 on Jan. 10. The first matchup was a mere 71-34 win by comparison.

That improvement was ultimately led by virtually the whole team’s assistance as Carter Durflinger was the leading scorer with just 11 points. Six Bulldogs scored at least seven points — Ayden Netten (10), John Braun (10), Gus Rosener (9) and Michael Steinfeldt (8).

Van Meter's John Braun looks to shoot a three-pointer during a game against Panorama on Friday, Jan. 13, 2023.
Van Meter's John Braun looks to shoot a three-pointer during a game against Panorama on Friday, Jan. 13, 2023.

Durflinger was also responsible for making many of those opportunities, as he made five assists and three steals to lead the team in both those categories as well.

Now, on the other end of the scale was a 69-63* win against Panorama (5-8) three days later. Winning by 12 points at halftime, the Bulldogs seemed well on their way to another clear victory, only for the Panthers to pull within one point entering the fourth quarter. Any such worries were laid to rest, but this marked the only other conference win for the Bulldogs by under 10 points this season (the other coming against Des Moines Christian).

*Individual stats not available at the time of writing.

Van Meter's Finley Netten drives past a Panorama player on Friday, Jan. 13, 2023.
Van Meter's Finley Netten drives past a Panorama player on Friday, Jan. 13, 2023.

Girls Basketball (3-11)

The Bulldogs looked to get back on track holding a lead over Interstate 35 (5-6) on Jan. 10, but in a back-and-forth game, were on the wrong side of a 56-50 score at the final buzzer.

Behind a season-best 18 points from Finley Netten, Van Meter led the Roadrunners 37-36 at the start of the fourth quarter after overcoming a seven-point deficit in the first eight minutes. This marks the first time Interstate has swept the Bulldogs in a season after they won the previous 12 meetings before this season.

Along with Netten’s best scoring performance, Teya Speltz contributed nine points and nine rebounds.

The following game followed similar beats against conference-title contender Panorama (13-1) as the Bulldogs held a two-point lead entering the fourth quarter. But the Panthers found a late opening to take a 38-36* win.

*Individual stats not available at the time of writing.

Van Meter's Mason Drake poses for a photo after taking fifth place during the Perry Boys Wrestling Invitational on Saturday, Jan. 14, 2023.
Van Meter's Mason Drake poses for a photo after taking fifth place during the Perry Boys Wrestling Invitational on Saturday, Jan. 14, 2023.

Boys Wrestling

Saturday found the Bulldogs taking on 16 other teams in Perry where Van Meter placed 12th overall with the likes of West Delaware, Webster City and Carlisle taking up the most podium space.

Ever reliable though, Jackson Boese (182 pounds) was able to reserve one championship seat as he squared off with Sergeant Bluff-Luton’s Garrett McHugh in the title round. After previously winning his first three rounds including two major decisions, Boese was sparred for six minutes in a dead heat with McHugh. But at the final buzzer, McHugh’s lone point was enough for the decision, handing Boese a second place finish. He now stands at 26-4 for the season.

Van Meter’s next-highest finish came from Mason Drake (138) whose 3-2 day placed him fifth, improving his record to 26-8.

Raccoon River Northwest

After previously hosting an event in Adel, the Raccoon River Northwest girls wrestling team hosted another tournament on Saturday, this time at Waukee Northwest with 17 other schools in attendance.

With a final score of 140 points, the team finished in fifth place to compete with other top programs like Dallas Center-Grimes (164 points, second place) and Bettendorf (147, fourth).

That was the result of having two first place winners and another in third place.

Opponents still haven’t been able to crack Katie Biscoglia (100 pounds) who brought home another four wins to bring her season record to 30-0. She had three first round wins, and another win via a 14-0 major decision- one of her best among a long list of dominant performances.

Raccoon River Northwest’s Katie Biscoglia wrestles Cedar Falls’s Natalie Blake, in the red, during the semi-finals at 100-pounds Northwest Girls Invite on at Waukee Northwest High School on Saturday, Jan. 14, 2023.
Raccoon River Northwest’s Katie Biscoglia wrestles Cedar Falls’s Natalie Blake, in the red, during the semi-finals at 100-pounds Northwest Girls Invite on at Waukee Northwest High School on Saturday, Jan. 14, 2023.

Calista Rodish (120) also stood atop the proverbial podium with a 3-0 day after receiving a first round bye. She improved to 31-3 overall this season, hading Ames’ Lexa Rozevink just her second loss.

Placing third, Aleah Johnson (190) went 3-1 for the day to bring her overall record to 30-5, giving Northwest three wrestlers with 30 wins already this season.

This article originally appeared on Dallas County News: Van Meter boys hoops continue streak, Boese places second