Both Pella Christian basketball teams erased double digit deficits to sweep Newton in a basketball doubleheader heard live on 92.1 KRLS.
The girls trailed 45-35 with just over 5:00 remaining, and scored the final 17 points to win 52-45. Then the boys fell behind by 15 midway through the second quarter, but rallied to win 65-63.
The girls contest was a game of runs, with Pella Christian using a 9-0 run to stay within 25-22 at intermission. Newton then had a 10-0 third quarter spurt to take control before the Eagles’ closed it out late.
Cailey Terpstra scored 16 points for P.C. and Kaley Wilson and Morgan Fopma each added 10, with Fopma collecting a game high 9 rebounds.
Pella Christian is now 8-5 overall and finishes the first trip through the Little Hawkeye Conference at 3-4.
In the boys game, Pella Christian committed 11 turnovers in the first 12 minutes as they found themselves trailing 33-18. The Eagles then scored the final 9 points of the second quarter and the first six points of the second half to pull even.
Newton responded with three consecutive three-pointers to go back up by 9, but Pella Christian rallied within one by the end of the frame.
A back-and-forth fourth quarter saw the teams knotted at 63 when Alex Pringle missed a reverse layup with 10 seconds to play. Teammate David Kacmarynski grabbed the rebound in traffic and stuck in the put back to give P.C. a 65-63 lead.
The Cardinals’ Connor Gholson, who scored a game-high 23 points, missed a three-pointer with three seconds left, and Kade Vander Molen secured the rebound and the victory.
Levi Jungling’s 21 paced Pella Christian, with 17 coming in the second half. Kacmarynski added 16 and Pringle scored 12.
Pella Christian is 9-1, and 6-1 in the LHC, guaranteed at least a share of first place after the first loop through the league.
Both Eagle teams are in action again today at home against Des Moines Christian. Tipoff of the varsity doubleheader is at 4:30, with live coverage on KNIA 2 beginning at 4:15 with Andrew Schneider and Wynne Veenstra on www.kniakrls.com.