Bozarth’s career night, Klein’s tip-in at the buzzer lead Newton boys past Van Meter

Landon Bozarth’s bonkers second half was good enough to rally the Newton boys basketball team back from several first-half deficits.

And one of the five shots from the floor Bozarth did miss was rebounded at the rim by Caden Klein and dropped in at the buzzer as the Cardinals improved to 3-0 against Van Meter since 2023 following a 63-61 home victory on Senior Night.

“That was a lot of fun,” Newton head boys basketball coach Jason Carter said. “Both teams played really well, matching each other shot for shot. I’m just happy we made the last one.

“I thought (Klein) was going to flush it, but I’m glad he didn’t hold on to it that long. It was really close. It’s about as close as you can get. It was just a heads up play by a tremendous athlete.”

Klein’s game-winning bucket put him into double digits, but the night belonged to Bozarth on his Senior Night.

Bozarth’s career-high 27 points included 10-of-15 shooting from the floor and 5-of-6 from the free-throw line. Twenty-two of the 27 came in the second half and 14 were scored in the fourth as the Cardinals were in the middle of a back-and-forth contest with the Bulldogs.

“(Bozarth) really showed out tonight,” Carter said. “We really liked his matchup with his length and finishing ability, and he carried us for most of the night.

“It was a great night for him on Senior Night. He’s put us on his back in a lot of these games down the stretch, at least with scoring the ball. It was a tremendous effort by him.”

Van Meter opened with three straight buckets in the lane to go up 6-0. The Cardinals trailed by six twice and by five twice in the first and then the Bulldogs went up by as many as nine in the second.

Dawson Maki hit a 3-pointer with Newton facing its first nine-point margin and then Grant Osby and Creighton Andrew scored inside to close the gap to four.

Andrew hit a trey later while being fouled and his four-point play made it 27-22. The Cardinals (10-9) stayed five points back at halftime.

A pair of 10-3 runs helped Newton get back into the game. The first one included 3s from Cade Bauer and Klein and four points from Andrew. That put the hosts in front 34-32.

Van Meter responded with five in a row, but another 10-3 run swelled the advantage to five. That spurt featured eight from Bozarth, and it started the best stretch of his career.

The Bulldogs led by one after three, but Bozarth took over in the fourth. His runner in the lane and three-point play moved the Cardinals back in front 46-45 and 51-50.

Bozarth started a 9-0 run later and his final bucket of the night extended Newton’s lead to 60-56. The Bulldogs (13-8) made a 3 with 1:34 to go and then scored with 5.7 seconds left to tie it at 61-all.

Bozarth took the ball straight to the hoop on the Cardinals’ final possession but missed a contested layup. Klein grabbed the offensive rebound from the back side and his putback was the game-winner.

“Both teams executed what they wanted to do,” Carter said. “They can really shoot the ball when they’re on. Give them credit. They made a lot of 3s.”

Bozarth added seven rebounds, two assists and two steals to his career-best 27 points. Klein totaled 10 points, seven boards and four assists and Andrew collected 10 points, four rebounds and three assists. Six of Andrew’s 10 came in the second quarter.

Bauer registered nine points, three rebounds and four assists, Grant Osby posted four points and five boards off the bench and Christian Ergenbright dished out five assists. Maki also added three points off the bench.

Bozarth, Bauer, Andrew, Ergenbright, Jonah Tibben and Braydon West all were recognized for Senior Night. Tibben and West made their first career varsity starts.

Newton shot 50 percent from the floor, made 7-of-23 from 3 and buried 8-of-11 from the foul line. The Cardinals are only shooting 50 percent from the charity stripe for the season.

The hosts turned the ball over only nine times and delivered 19 assists on 24 field goals. Van Meter turned the ball over only six times and were 10-of-22 from 3.

Andrew Watson totaled 18 points to lead the Bulldogs, while Brody Notz added eight points, four rebounds and five assists. Caleb Moore dished out eight assists.

The victory was Newton’s 10th of the winter. The Cardinals have posted at least 10 wins in four straight seasons.

“Our success depends on our effort and energy,” Carter said. “We are not super flashy. We don’t do a ton of things that great, but we do a lot of things well. You can win a lot of games by just playing scrappy.”