After the dust settled on constantly changing schedules, the Norwalk basketball teams swept Pella Christian in a Little Hawkeye Conference Doubleheader that was heard live on 92.1 KRLS Friday night. 

Norwalk’s Bailey Birmingham stole the show in the opening game of the twin bill, pouring in a game-high 40 points to propel the Warrior girls to a 59-35 win. The junior connected on five of her seven shots and all four of her free throw attempts in the first quarter to score 18 points and give Norwalk a 24-10 lead. The Warriors slightly grew the advantage to 35-16 at halftime, and then 49-28 heading into the final quarter before pulling away for the 24-point victory. Rachel Kacmarynski was the lone Eagles player to reach double-figures in the loss with 14 points. The Norwalk girls basketball team improved to 11-2 overall and 4-1 in the conference, while Pella Christian dropped to 4-9 overall and 1-5 in the league.

Playing their first game in 29 days, the Norwalk boys earned a hard-fought 58-51 win over Class 2A #7 Pella Christian. The result of the doubleheader’s nightcap remained in the balance until the closing seconds of the contest, as neither team ever led by more than 8 points. The Eagles held leads of 15-11 at the end of the first quarter, 29-28 at halftime, and 43-40 at the end of the third quarter, but it wasn’t enough to hold the Warriors at bay. Behind an 18-8 scoring advantage in the fourth quarter and a 34-point effort from senior Redek Born, Norwalk came back to pull out the seven point win. Dane Geetings and Tysen De Vries led the way for Pella Christian offensively in the loss, scoring 16 and 10 points respectively. The Warriors solidified their standing atop the conference, improving to 8-2 overall and 5-0 in the league, while the Eagles dropped to 8-3 overall and 4-2 in the Little Hawkeye. 

The Pella Christian basketball teams are back in action today at Oskaloosa for a conference doubleheader that can be heard live on the KRLS2 stream beginning at 12:45 pm. Meanwhile, the Norwalk basketball squads return to the court Monday night at Newton.