Photo by Paige Farrell

While familiar foes on the football field, Pella Christian and Iowa City Regina will meet for just the second time in boys basketball since 2015 in the Class 2A Substate 5 Final tomorrow night.

The Eagles enter the contest ranked fifth in the Iowa High School Athletic Association’s rankings, and are seeking their third consecutive trip to State. Meanwhile, the unranked Regals are looking to reach the State Tournament for the first time since the 2018-2019 season. 

On the year, Iowa City Regina holds a 16-6 overall record and a 9-3 mark in the River Valley Conference, where they finished in second place in the south division behind West Branch. Through 22 games this season, the Regals have averaged 59.7 points, 26.7 rebounds, 14.9 assists, 7.6 steals, and 1.6 blocks per game.

Senior Michael Martin has led the scoring efforts for the Regal offense this season, averaging 17.8 points per game while connecting on 47.4% of his field goals, 43.8% of his three-pointers and 85.4% of his free throws. Senior Drew Streb is Iowa City Regina’s top rebounder on the season with 5.8 boards per contest, while senior Eddie Petersen averages five assists a game.

Pella Christian’s bid for their third straight state tournament appearance begins at 7 pm tomorrow night, and coverage of the Substate Final against Iowa City Regina begins at 6:30 pm on 92.1 KRLS.