After a week of waiting, the day for the Pella Christian girls to take to the court in the Class 2-A State Tournament is finally upon them. The Lady Eagles have overwhelmed the opposition en route to their first State Tournament appearance since 2005; led by the combination of a swarming defense and balanced scoring.

Of particular help for the Pella Christian girls has been their bench, which Head Coach Kevin Van Maanen says is just as potent on offense as the first five out on the floor.

“We get very good point production from our bench with Cali [Vink], Tayler [Stursma] and Paige [Engbers]. I call them off the bench when we need them, and I know they’ll do well for us and the starters know that,” said Van Maanen. “We’ve got a nice rotation going right now, and we’re playing well.”

Awaiting the Lady Eagles in the opening round is Estherville-Lincoln Central; which gained admission to the big dance by upsetting Carroll Kuemper in the Region 2 Finals. After routing Van Buren last Monday, the Lady Eagles are 20-4 entering the State Quarterfinals, while the Midgets carry a 21-4 overall record into the tournament.

The two teams take to the court for the second game of the morning session today, with tip-off at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines slated for around 11:45 am. You can hear the game broadcast live on 92.1 fm KRLS, starting at around 11:25 am with Eric Gotschall and Wynne Veenstra providing the call. However, due to state regulations, the game will not be available for streaming online.