As the calendar finished out January, the Pella girls and boys basketball teams found victory heading into the final weeks of the regular season and looming playoffs. The #9 in 4A Dutch girls held off an Oskaloosa second-half surge in a 52-43 win, while the boys pulled away early in a 70-43 lopsided contest in the nightcap Tuesday, with both heard live on 92.1 KRLS.

Pella’s girls were right around 24 hours removed from a difficult, close loss to #15 in 5A Des Moines North as they returned to conference competition against a dangerous Oskaloosa team featuring two of the best all-around league players in Presley Blommers and Dasia Foster — and the duo was largely contained as the home team built up a 30-16 halftime advantage. But a series of mini-runs featured that duo breaking loose in the 3rd and got the contest to 37-32 just before the final eight minutes began with Oskaloosa having a few possessions to try and tie. The Dutch defense was able to turn the tide, and a series of steals stretched the Dutch advantage back to 10, before and back-and-forth 4th quarter ultimately ended in another league victory.

Pella’s Kylie Tauke finished with 16 points and Kennedy Van Vark with 14, while Mia Warner added another double-double and 10 points, 10 rebounds.

In the nightcap, an extremely balanced Dutch attack was relentless from the opening tip, as nine different Dutch found the basket in the first half while building a 17-point lead before the break. Pella stretched that advantage to 32 at the end of the 3rd with more sharing of the basketball before calling in all 15 who dressed to compete Tuesday evening. Brayden Traetow (15 points), Cam Schulter (12 points, 11 rebounds), and Roman Hugan (11 ponts) all finished in double figures for the Dutch.

Pella’s girls are up to 13-4 overall and 8-2 against league foes, while the Dutch boys are up to 9-7 and 4-6 against conference competition; both are in a weather makeup at Grinnell this Thursday.