Third-seeded Pella plays number six seed Sergeant Bluff-Luton tonight in the opening round of the class 3-A state tournament.

The Little Dutch come in at 22-2, and were champions of the Little Hawkeye Conference at 12-2. Meanwhile, the Warriors were 15-9 and finished fourth in the Missouri River Conference at 6-6.

Pella coach Mark Core says that just like his team, Sergeant Bluff-Luton was well prepared for the playoffs by a grueling regular season.

“They play in essentially a 4-A conference and they played Hull Western Christian in a non-conference game. They’re a team that’s going to be ready, and I don’t think they’re going to come in intimated by us by any means. Nor will we be intimidated by them, and so as a result I think it’s going to be a really good game.”

The Warriors lost that game to Western Christian, the top-seed in class 2-A, by just one point, and they lost to 4-A qualifier Sioux City East twice, but by just one and two points. To get to state, Sergeant Bluff-Luton beat Sioux City Heelan, 53-51. The Warriors handed the Crusaders two of their seven losses this season.

Tipoff is scheduled for 8:15 tonight at Wells Fargo Arena. Join Trevor Castle and Mike Buchheit for the live play-by-play on 92.1 KRLS beginning with pregame coverage at 7:45.