Oskaloosa vs. Norwalk Rivaly Preview
Last season’s Oskaloosa vs. Norwalk rivalry was arguably the best in the state across all classes. It has been since the 2017-18 season when both teams made it to state and both lost to eventual state champion Glenwood, and it…
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Continue ReadingLast season’s Oskaloosa vs. Norwalk rivalry was arguably the best in the state across all classes. It has been since the 2017-18 season when both teams made it to state and both lost to eventual state champion Glenwood, and it is without a doubt the most anticipated match-up across all classes this season. This is due in large part to the dominance of both team’s best players.
Norwalk’s senior, Bowen Born, averaged just under 28 points per game as a junior, and is committed to play for Ben Jacobson and the Panthers of Northern Iowa next season. He’s perhaps the most offensively gifted player in the state and shouldn’t have a problem averaging over 30 this year. But the talk of the state in high school hoops is centered around Oskaloosa’s big man Xavier Foster. The seven foot, 225 pound Goliath of a basketball player is ranked by 24/7Sports as the number one recruit in Iowa, 60th overall in the country, and is committed to play for Steve Prohm at Iowa State next season. These two players alone are more than worth the price of admission, so getting them on the court at the same time is a must see this year in Iowa high school hoops.
Last season’s first two games weren’t particularly close; Norwalk took game one at home by 12, and Oskaloosa took game two by 21. But both games were great showcases of their star players; Foster recorded a double-double in both games, while Born scored 29 points in the first game 20 in the second.
But it was the third match-up, the one that wasn’t on the schedule at the beginning of the season, that makes this rivalry so special going into the 2019-2020 season. Norwalk finished their regular season 20-4 and was the top seed going into the playoffs, while Oskaloosa finished 16-5 and was the third seed. Norwalk won their first two games in the playoffs relatively easily, while Oskaloosa barely sneaked passed Marion by two and Winterset by five. Either way, this set up the match-up the whole state wanted to see, and the two teams did not disappoint.
Oskaloosa took a 20-12 lead into the second quarter, but Norwalk stole it back and went into halftime up 31-30. Only 31 total points were scored in all of the second half which wasn’t good for Norwalk’s high powered offense, and Oskaloosa took home the 3A state title by a score of 48-44. Neither star player played particularly well; Foster only tallied 12 points, and while Born tallied 26, it took him 26 shots to get there. Oskaloosa’s supporting cast won the day though, as senior and Oskaloosa leading scorer, Cole Henry, led the way with 19 points and 14 rebounds, while the second leading scorer for Norwalk only tallied six points.
With both star players returning for their fourth and final high school basketball season, and their teams ranked one and two by most preseason polls, it wouldn’t be a shock to see both teams meet again for the playoffs. But most would put Norwalk ahead of Oskaloosa as Xavier Fosters running mate, Cole Henry, graduated, committed to play college ball at UNI, and will be Bowen Born’s running mate next year.
In total, Oskaloosa’s first, third, and fourth leading scorers are all gone from last year. Xavier Foster is one of Oskaloosa’s two starters to return for this year, yet he’s the only player from last year’s team with significant experience handling and scoring the ball. Compared to Norwalk who returns their first, second, and fifth leading scorers, Bowen Born, Tyler Johnson, and Scott Anderson, as well as junior, Ethan Carlson, who missed most of last year due to injury, Oskaloosa will have a tough time keeping up with Norwalk’s high powered offense in the 2019-20 season.
That being said, by all accounts, the best player in the state is Xavier Foster, and he will be looking to lead his Oskaloosa teammates back to the state championship before he departs for college in Ames next season.
Oskaloosa and Norwalk play for the first time this season on January 7th in Oskaloosa. It’s maybe the most anticipated game in the early goings of the high school year, and it will be very interesting to see how both teams match up.