It was a dominant effort by the starters of Pella High’s boys’ basketball team last night in their 81 – 56 triumph over Ballard last night in the Class 3A substate game; a win that sends the Little Dutch to their second-straight state tournament appearance. Pella got out to a 17 – 4 lead early in the first, only to see the Bombers get within five in the second quarter. After a Mark Core timeout, the Little Dutch were able to gather themselves and end the first half on a 15 – 5 run, capped by a buzzer-beating shot.

Donovan Holterhaus’ only bucket of the game, a three-pointer, gave the guys in green a 15-point lead going into the locker room, and the Bombers would never get any closer. Pella’s starters combined for 69 of their points, led by Will Warner’s 22. Coach Mark Core says he’s been fortunate to be around such a special group of guys this year.

“It’s really been a lot of fun to be around them this year,” Core said. “They’ve got the right combination of, they are super serious and competitive when they are on the floor; but the moment the game is over, the moment they’re in the locker room, or on the bus, or in the hallway at school, they just have a good time. They stay loose, but they’re also very competitive when the ball goes up.”

Pella improves to 22 – 1, and they will be making their 15th ever state tournament appearance. Due to a few upsets, the Little Dutch will be the No. 2 seed and take on the No. 7-seeded Perry Bluejays next Tuesday night, March 9 at 8:15 p.m. inside of Wells Fargo Arena.