The Pella Christian basketball teams were in action for this first time in 2020 on Tuesday evening, hosting Grinnell in Little Hawkeye Conference action. The Eagles and Tigers split the two games of the evening, as aired live on KRLS2.

The Pella Christian girls fell behind early and could not keep up with the 15th-ranked team in Class 4A, dropping a 75-36 decision. Grinnell scored the game’s first 15 points on their way to a 47-18 halftime lead. The running clock rule took effect midway through the third quarter, and the Tigers emptied the bench in the final minutes.

Only three players scored for Pella Christian, led by Allison Van Gorp’s double-double of 22 points and 12 rebounds. Chloe Morgan and Emma Witzenberg each added seven to round out the scoring. Pella Christian falls to 0-8 overall and 0-4 in the Little Hawkeye Conference.

The Pella Christian boys rested star center Josh Van Gorp to allow him to heal a minor ankle injury, but they made up for his 18 points per game in a 59-44 win. The Eagles started relatively quiet, but picked up the pace midway through the first quarter and left little doubt throughout the night. Head Coach Larry Hessing says that it was a solid way to come out of the Christmas break.

“I thought we came out and played really good defense, that was a point of emphasis throughout the break, to try to get better on the defensive end, and I thought for three quarters we played really well defensively. Grinnell made some shots in the fourth quarter. Not sure if it was that they made some shots, or that our defense wasn’t quite as good. And I also thought in the third quarter, we played some good offense, we were under control, we were aggressive to the basket and got some things going a little bit there.”

In Van Gorp’s absence, Isaiah Gritters stepped in and made a name for himself with 14 points to lead the way offensively. Dan Jungling also chipped with 12 points. It was a balanced effort on the glass, with no player collecting more than five rebounds.

Pella Christian improves to 5-3 overall and 2-2 in the Little Hawkeye Conference. The Eagles will be back in action Friday evening, hosting Dallas Center-Grimes. That doubleheader will air live on KRLS2.