A pair of top ten teams in Class 2A clashed on Eagle Lane Saturday, and it was the home team that turned out victorious, as #7 Pella Christian knocked off #8 Van Meter 53-49.

The Eagles and Bulldogs had a sluggish start on offense, scoring just one combined bucket in the first four minutes, before each started trading runs in the first half — a 7-0 start for the Eagles moved to a 12-6 advantage after one quarter, and Van Meter worked to grab its first lead in the 2nd quarter before Pella Christian built back a seven point lead before the half.

An early third quarter technical foul turned into five points for the road team, and the Bulldogs pounced for a 22 point stretch before the final period began. Pella Christian flipped the script after trailing most of the fourth following a Van Meter technical, and a Jaedon Huisman three after a miss and quick Bulldogs turnover tied the game at 47-all. Levi Schelhaas and Eric Mulder hit their final six free throws late to ice the game.

Huisman finished with a game-high 15 points on 5-of-7 three point shooting, Schelhaas added 13 points, and Mulder tallied a 10-point, 14-rebound double-double with five blocked shots for Pella Christian.

The Eagles improve to 14-5 overall, and next travel to Oskaloosa Tuesday for a girls-boys doubleheader.