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The Pella Christian boys basketball team opened what they hope is a special season with a walk-off winner in the final second.
Eagles Senior Ryan Vande Haar hit the game winning shot as time expired in a 55-53 thrilling win over ADM, as heard live on 92.1 KRLS Tuesday night.
Pella Christian largely dominated the first half, opening an eight-point advantage at the break, but a 19-point bonanza from the home-team Tigers in the first four minutes of the 3rd quarter gave ADM a quick nine-point lead. The Eagles were able to grind out several underneath points from Josh Van Gorp to claw back, and a fourth quarter with eight different ties or lead changes led up to the thrilling buzzer-beater. Vande Haar was quick to credit his teammates for setting up his winning shot, including Keean Cadwell and Isaiah Gritters, who set up a turnover that gave the Eagles a chance with 1.3 second remaining. Vande Haar says it was a special way to start a season he says the team has high expectations for.
“It felt great, I mean as soon as it left my hands, I thought it felt good, and once it went in, my team just surrounded me and that was great,” Vande Haar says. “It was a feeling I really hadn’t had before–I loved it.”
While Vande Haar hit the last two, his postman teammate Van Gorp dominated ADM, with 28 points and 18 rebounds.
Game Highlights:
![](https://dehayf5mhw1h7.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/1072/2019/12/04004142/78232732_2425804467531818_5560970758320029696_n.jpg)
Pella Christian’s girls couldn’t hang on to the ball, turning it over 31 times in a 44-29 loss in the opener of the twin bill in Adel. Allison Van Gorp finished with 13 rebounds, Chloe Morgan scored nine, and Avery Baugh scored five points and tallied six boards.
The Eagles boys open the season at 1-0 and the girls fall to 0-3, and both head to Pella High School Friday to open the Little Hawkeye Conference season.