It was a comfortable win for the girls, and a nail-biting finish for the boys, but both Pella High basketball teams opened the Little Hawkeye Conference season with victories over Grinnell last night in a doubleheader heard live on 92.1 KRLS.

The girls won the opener 50-35, while the boys had to watch a half-court heave brick off to secure a 96-94 shootout victory in the nightcap.

In the girl’s game, number one Pella used a 20-7 second quarter advantage to open up a double digit lead that they held for the most of the remainder of the game. While the offense was solid, coach Jarod Garland had especially high praise for the defensive effort against an athletic Tiger offense.

“We talked as a coaching staff matchup wise, and we kind of went back-and-forth. We ended up putting Chloe Van Vliet on their best shooter (Madeline) Wilkins, who is a phenomenal shooter. And Chloe had probably her best defensive game as a Lady Dutch – she really answered the call on that matchup. But it was everybody, talking, switching, and communication was really strong tonight.”

Kiara Bradley led Pella with 18 points and 8 rebounds, while Ciara Buchheit and Katie Vander Molen each had 9 points.

The Lady Dutch are 2-0 on the young season, and start Little Hawkeye Conference play at 1-0.

In the boys game, Grinnell jumped out to a 22-18 lead at the end of the first quarter, only to see Pella score the first 10 points of the second.

While the Little Dutch never trailed again, and built a double-digit lead, they could never fully shake the Tigers. Nick Finney nailed 5-of-6 free throws in the final minute to keep Pella ahead by two, but his lone miss allowed the half-court shot at the buzzer for Grinnell, which missed high off the backboard.

On a night that featured a number of offensive stars, Pella’s Ryan Van Wyk shined brightest. He scored 30 points, making 15 baskets all from point-blank range. Coach Mark Core says that his ability to create is something special.

“He’s got that spin move down really well, and he really uses the glass well. He can attack the basket from pretty much any angle, get the ball up off the glass, give the shot a chance to go in, and a very high percentage of the time it does.”

Joining Van Wyk in double figures for Pella were Finney, with 20, Drew Pringle with 14 points, and Julian Viersen with 11.

Like the Lady Dutch, the Little Dutch are 2-0 overall, 1-0 in LHC play. Both clubs head to Huxley on Tuesday night for a non-conference doubleheader against Ballard.

Tags: , ,