The experienced Lady Dutch begin the basketball season on the long road to Mt. Pleasant.

Pella opens against a team they have historically dominated — winning eight of the nine matchups for the two teams that have played nearly every season since 2009, with the average margin of victory of 21 points in the last five victories.

Head Coach Jerod Garland says with the entire starting lineup returning for the green and white, he wants to see a strong start against a young Panthers lineup looking for an upset.

Mt. Pleasant graduated their top two scorers from the 2020 squad, and feature Emma Huckabone and Andrea Lopreato as the top returning threats this winter — each average five points per contest last season. The Lady Dutch have their top six scorers returning, including All-Conference 2nd team athletes Madison Naig and Faith Diers.

Varsity action begins for the Pella girls at 7:00 this evening in Mount Pleasant.