The Ballard girls’ basketball team showed Pella why they are one of the top teams in the state, while the Bombers’ boys gave the Little Dutch a scare late, as the two schools split the girls/boys basketball doubleheader on Tuesday. On the girls’ side, Ballard got off to an 11 – 4 lead after one quarter, but couldn’t quite put the Lady Dutch away, as each team committed several turnovers over the course of the game. Pella would get as close as three, but the Bombers’ star player, Katie Ahrenholtz, scored 23 points and went to the line several times in a 49 – 27 defeat of the Lady Dutch. Head coach, Jerod Garland, said that no matter what they tried, it was hard trying to stop such an offensive powerhouse that the Bombers feature. Over on the boys’ side, they were able to hold Ballard to without a field goal in the first six-plus minutes of the first quarter, but fought through a late scare to walk away with a 54 – 44 win. Pella’s five point halftime lead turned into a one-point deficit with 4.5 seconds left in the third quarter, when Josh DeWaard made two clutch free throws, then, following a stolen in-bounds pass, nailed a three at the buzzer to put his team up by four going into the final eight minutes. Little Dutch head coach, Mark Core, said that DeWaard’s play was perhaps the biggest key to their win. DeWaard would finish with seven points, while Isaac Naaktgeboren led the team with 21. The Lady Dutch now sit with a 1 – 3 record on the year, while the boys have a 3 – 0 start to the 2012-13 season, and each team will begin Little Hawkeye Conference play on Friday at home against Oskaloosa, which will be aired on 92.1 KRLS.