In a battle of non-conference ranked teams, the #9 in 4A Pella girls let go of a late lead against #15 in 5A Des Moines North Monday in girls basketball competition. The Dutch led 44-41 with 4:05 remaining in a contest that didn’t feature much in the way of runs — with the teams trading several leads and ties throughout the duration. But Pella’s offense gave away several possessions down the stretch, and the Polar Bears ground out hard earned points to come away with the victory.

Head Coach Blaine Forsythe says the Dutch overcame several matchup challenges and learned a lot about tough late game scenarios.

“Their length really bothered us and forced us into tough shots in the paint. It was a physical game that we came up just short. I am proud of the fight and grit that this team played with for the entire 32 minutes. This is a great learning opportunity for us in all aspects of the game.”

Kylie Tauke led the way with 15 points for Pella. The Dutch girls (Overall 12-4 Conference 7-2) kicked off a stretch of four games in five days, and return to action with the boys at home against Oskaloosa this evening. Coverage of the boys-girls doubleheader begins at 6:00 on 92.1 KRLS and the Pella Dutch Live YouTube.