After a four year stretch in the round of 16 for the Pella boys basketball team was snapped last winter, the Dutch are aiming to get back to the final game before the state tournament in their final home game of the season.

Pella (13-9 overall) welcomes Clarke (18-5) to the Tulip City in the 3A Substate semifinals this evening. The boys from Osceola placed 2nd in the South Central Conference and defeated league foe Chariton 67-51 to advance on Monday; the Dutch dispatched Carlisle 67-45 that same night.

The teams have not ever played in the Bound era, but do share multiple common foes, including Newton, Knoxville, North Polk, and the aforementioned Wildcats, who the Indians defeated 63-49 on December 4th.

Pella Head Coach Derek Schulte says Clarke features some unique challenges, with a few key bigs in the main rotation. Senior Jack Cooley leads the way with 23.7 points and 11.8 rebounds per game, and 6-7 Cole White adds 7.4 points and 6.1 boards per contest as well. The Indians feature five starters as seniors and six players average seven or more points per contest, and their 70.6 points per game rank 4th best in Class 3A.

Coverage of Pella’s Substate semifinals contest against Clarke begins at 6:30 this evening on 92.1 KRLS and Pella Dutch Live.