While the results ended up the same, that didn’t take away from eight quarters of action packed basketball on Eagle Lane Friday as the Tulip City high schools clashed for round two of the 2023-24 winter season in a twin bill heard live on 92.1 KRLS.
The #13 in 4A Pella girls pulled away late in a 51-38 victory, while the #7 in 2A Eagles boys did the same in the nightcap with a 67-54 win over the Dutch.
Where in round one turned into a nightmare for the Pella Christian girls on January 5th, the February 2nd matchup four weeks later showed the growing maturity of the maroon and gold. While Pella never trailed and maintained an average of a 10-point lead by the end of each quarter, the home team Eagles made several runs and pushes to pull the game closer, including a three-point margin within the first minute of the 4th quarter. But P.C. went cold after that point, and the Dutch inched away from their rivals despite a rough 41% night at the foul line.
Abby Warner stuffed the stat sheet with 16 points, six steals, and five rebounds to pace Pella; Rachel Kacmarynski lifted the Eagles with a 20-point, 19-rebound double-double.
In the night cap, the Dutch pulled their cart slightly ahead with strong three-point shooting and kept a slight advantage for the majority of the first 16 minutes, although the lead changed six times in the 2nd quarter as Pella Christian found their rhythm on offense. The game stayed close until a technical foul called on Pella in the third quarter allowed the Eagles to find additional breathing room, and they took full advantage of. It wasn’t until late in the 4th that the Eagles turned the ball over for a second time in the second half, which frustrated a Dutch offense that finished 0-for their last eight attempts from three point range.
This was the first time since 2013 that Pella Christian swept the season series over Pella.
Dane Geetings scored 19 points and Tysen DeVries added 12 to lead P.C. on senior night; Cameron Rowe scored 21 to try and keep the Dutch afloat against their crosstown rivals.
The Eagles boys continue their late season surge and add to a five-game winning streak to improve to 14-4 overall and 7-3 in the conference, while the Eagles girls drop to 7-11 and 3-7 in the Little Hawkeye. Pella Christian welcomes Van Meter for a boys only matchup today, with varsity action starting at 5 p.m. Pregame can be heard on the KRLS2 stream and Pella Christian YouTube at 4:30 this afternoon. The Eagles girls will also return at home on Monday, when they host #13 in 3A Chariton — that can also be heard and viewed on the same networks at 7:00 that evening.
Pella’s girls improve to 14-4 overall and 7-2 in conference competition; the boys drop to 10-6 and 5-4 against league foes, and both remain off until a trip to a pair of ranked Norwalk teams on Monday. That doubleheader with the Warriors will be featured on 92.1 KRLS.