Pella rallied from a nine point halftime deficit to keep its undefeated season intact, and staked its claim to the number one ranking in class 3A boys basketball with a 61-58 victory over Dallas Center-Grimes. Earlier in the night, the 5th-ranked DCG girls held off the Lady Dutch 44-35. Both games were heard live on the KRLS2 stream at www.kniakrls.com.
The boys game got off to a frantic start, with the Mustangs holding a slim 20-19 lead at the end of the first quarter. They then took control in the second quarter, holding the Little Dutch to just four points as they built a 32-23 lead. Pella got back on track in the third quarter, going ahead 45-44, then holding on in a back-and-forth final frame. Head Coach Derek Schulte says the response coming out of the halftime break was critical.
“Our guys really responded in the second half and I’m really proud of the effort and the determination. We talked at halftime about how elite teams have to find ways to win when they’re not playing at their best. Give DCG credit – they played an excellent first half, they controlled that half on both ends of the floor, and took us out of what we wanted to do in that second quarter. It was great to see the third quarter response.”
Karl Miller led Pella with 16 points and Grant Nelson added 14. The Little Dutch are now 8-0 on the season and all alone in first place in the Little Hawkeye Conference at 5-0.
The Lady Dutch hung tough with the highly ranked Mustangs in the girls game, trailing by just three points midway through the fourth quarter. But DCG’s Julia Reis nailed back-to-back three-pointers to make it a nine point game, and Pella couldn’t rally. Madison Naig led the Lady Dutch with 16 points as they fell to 5-4 on the season and 3-2 in the LHC.
Up next for Pella’s girls is a trip to Grinnell on Tuesday night. The Little Dutch are off at that evening due to covid in the Tiger boys program, and will return to action on Friday night for the first Tulip City showdown of the season at Pella Christian.
AUDIO HIGHLIGHTS OF THE BOYS GAME: