A pair of games between Little Hawkeye Conference contenders finished in nail-biting wins for the Pella basketball teams, as heard live on KNIAKRLS.com.

In one of their closest games of the season, defense ruled the night for the No. 1 ranked Lady Dutch and their 54-47 win over the No. 9 Fillies.

Tying a season worst eight points in the first quarter, Pella didnt’ take their first lead until 13 seconds before the halftime break, despite eight first half steals.

Pella’s offense finally hit its stride in the 4th quarter, scoring 21 points. Head Coach Jerod Garland says Chloe Van Vliet made big, momentum shifting buckets in a back-and-forth second half.

Van Vliet finished with 14 points, 11 of which came after halftime, and also had 13 points from Emily Holterhaus and Katie Vander Molen.

It was another flurry of a finish for the Pella boys, who came back from an 11-point third quarter deficit and on the wrong side of a five-point game late in the 4th to rally for a 60-57 victory.

DCG used high tempo and movement to pull away from Pella both on offense and defense early and often. Pella had a flurry of four steals in less than a minute to pull to within two to end the 3rd period. The Little Dutch made a key stop and steal with 18 seconds left to seal the win.

Donovan Holterhaus led Pella with 25 points, 12 rebounds, 4 steals, and 4 blocks, and Ryan Van Wyk had 16 points.

The Little Dutch are 9-1 and 5-1 in the conference, and Pella’s girls are 10-1 and 6-0 in the Little Hawkeye. Both host PCM later today in a doubleheader, beginning at 1 p.m.