OSKALOOSA — It was no secret going into Friday night's game that Oskaloosa senior Kena Veldhuizen was someone the Newton girls basketball team needed to focus on.

Unfortunately for the Cardinals, they ended up focusing on Veldhuizen for all the wrong reasons.

Scoring a game-high 27 points, many of which came directly off turnovers, Veldhuizen led the Indians to a largely one-sided 57-38 victory over the Cardinals (3-7, 0-3 Little Hawkeye Conference), who dropped their third-straight game.

"We had a game plan, and we kind of went away from it," Newton coach Brandon Sharp said. "We didn't execute the way we were in practice, and Veldhuizen is a very, very good player."

Although the Cards were able to keep up with Osky early in the game thanks to baskets from seniors Katelyn Camp and Michelle Marquis, Veldhuizen quickly took control with 3-pointers and steals for breakaway layups. She ended the first quarter with an old-fashioned three-point play to put the Indians up 17-8.

Things only got worse for the Cards in the second quarter as Veldhuizen managed more steals, which led to more breakaway layups. Although Newton managed a tough press for most of the quarter, the team struggled on the offensive end and didn’t score in the quarter until senior Kristin Samson hit a pair of free throws at the 1:14 mark. The Cardinals then took a 29-13 deficit into the locker room at halftime.