Ending their season in the Class 2A State Championship game marked a great finish to a special season for the Pella Christian girls basketball team. It didn’t always look like the Lady Eagles had that sort of run in them, but head coach Kevin Van Maanen said this was a team that stayed focused all season and learned from their losses.

“It was a great year. We started out the year with a loss to PCM, but I think that made us a little more focused, and we learned from that lesson. Then we went to conference play and did a great job – we won the conference [title],” said Van Maanen. “Pella [High] got us right before the tournament, and I think that re-focused our girls again to make a final push. I’m just happy about the kids and the hard work they put in and their effort. It’s been a great group of kids.”

The 67-57 loss to Western Christian in Friday night’s State Championship game put Pella Christian at 23-4 to finish their season, which saw them go 11-1 in the Little Hawkeye Conference. The Lady Eagles will lose seven seniors to graduation, including all five starters.