The Pella boys basketball team survived a missed a shot at the buzzer to win over Indianola 65-63, while the Indians girls held on for a win late against the Lady Dutch 58-52 for a split in Little Hawkeye Conference play in a doubleheader heard live on 94.3 KNIA and KNIAKRLS.com. The No. 1 in 3A Pella and Indianola boys played close throughout the first half, with Pella leading nearly the whole way 15-14 after the first, then 28-24 at the halftime break. The Little Dutch could not miss in the third quarter, hitting six three-point shots to build a lead as large as 16, leading 55-43 at the end of three. The Indians slowly crawled their way back however, going on a 9-2 run to begin the fourth to get right back in the contest, and eventually make it a four point game with less than 20 seconds to go. Cooper Nailor scored on a layup to cut the lead to two, then Pella turned the ball over with 8 seconds remaining, with the Indians finding Caden Rehmeier who just missed the game winner.
Pella Head Coach Derek Schulte said the Little Dutch were able to build their big advantage by attacking one of Indianola’s biggest strengths, pressing in the back court.
“We handled their pressure, and I think Indianola brings a unique style of play in the conference where they really pressure us specifically with their bench group. We were able to attack that pressure, we handled it well, we didn’t turn it over, and we were able to generate some great shots in that third quarter to stretch it out. All of a sudden Grant (Nelson) hits a three, Karl (Miller) hits a three, make an extra pass Noah (Allen) hits a three, and that three-point line really opened up for us.”
Pella’s Karl Miller led all scorers with 23 points and 5 rebounds, while Grant Nelson scored 19. Caden Rehmeier led the Indians with 15, and Drew Kingery scored 14.
The No. 14 in Class 5A Indianola and Pella girls struggled to find consistent offense in the first half, with the Indians trying to pound the ball inside to freshman Kendall McDaniel, and the Indians led 11-8 after the first and 25-19 at the halftime break. The Indians started the third quarter on a 5-0 run to build an 11-point advantage, but the Lady Dutch went on a 13-3 run that included four three-point buckets in the quarter and ended the third with a 41-38 advantage. The teams battled back and forth in the final frame, but the Indians free-throw shooting put them over the edge, dropping 9/12 from the charity stripe that ended up being the difference.
IndianolaHead Coach Jeff Janssen said Pella’s defense on the perimeter forced the Indians to have a rough shooting night, so getting the ball in the paint was a priority.
“The fact that we were going inside, something we didn’t do nearly enough earlier in the week at Glenwood, I’m really happy with the way we were able to adapt. We saw that we were missing three’s and got the ball inside.”
Kendall McDaniel scored 13 to lead the Indians, while Kendall Clatt and Lauren Blake each had 12. Pella was paced by Reagan Van Wyk with 14 points and six rebounds.
The Pella boys remain undefeated in conference play and have an 11-1 overall record, while the girls fall to 7-7, both teams will next play at Norwalk on Tuesday.
The Indians boys fall to 8-4 on the season, while the girls improve to 12-2, and will also play Norwalk this evening in a contest that can be heard live on 94.3 KNIA. Pregame coverage begins at 5:45pm, with tip-off scheduled for 6pm.