Tonight marks the first Tulip City basketball showdown of the winter as Pella High School makes the short trip to Eagle Lane to take on Pella Christian.

The opener will pit the number one ranked class 4-A Lady Dutch against the ninth ranked Eagles’ girls of class 2-A.

The nightcap is also a top-ten showdown, with the visiting Little Dutch ranked third in 3-A and home standing Pella Christian ranked fifth in 2-A.

The Eagles are hoping to avoid what happened in their first matchup with Pella last year, as the Little Dutch ran away with an 84-45 blowout. Pella Christian was able to close the gap in game two on their home floor.

Head Coach Larry Hessing feels having David Kacmarynski back and better than ever, coupled with a deeper team overall, will help close the gap in the rivalry this year.

“As long as it’s a competitive game, it’s fun. On Friday night, it will be a great atmosphere in here, probably very similar to what we had last Friday night (against Oskaloosa. We’ve been on this home floor all season long so far, and we’re really looking forward to Friday night.”

Pella Coach Mark Core understands that this game draws a lot of interest from the community, and he says that’s a good thing. But for his team, it’s just another game.

“It’s another step and another stop on our journey. It’s one of what we hope will be 27 games, and it will certainly be our stiffest test of the season so far. They’ve got some terrific players, they’re very well coached, and we’re going to have to play one of our better games to have a chance.”

Pella has swept the season series each of the last three years, running their winning streak over Pella Christian to six in a row. The last victory for the Eagle boys over their cross-town rivals was 2013.

The opening tip of tonight’s doubleheader is at 6:00 at Pella Christian High School. Trevor Castle and Cory Houser will call the action live on 92.1 KRLS.