Entering the season, high expectations were placed on the Pella Christian boys basketball team.

Coming off back-to-back Class 2A State Tournament Semifinal appearances, the Eagles returned eight seniors from last year’s squad and were widely considered a favorite to make a run for the State Title this winter. While the expectations didn’t become reality, Pella Christian head coach JD Boer said he was proud of how the team handled the pressure of being the team opponents circled on their schedules.

“Truthfully, sometimes in life we want to be the underdog, because that feels kind of safe and comfortable for us, but you’ve got to be willing to put yourself out there. We talked about leading from the front, you know, don’t be afraid to be the one to say we’re going to set a new standard for what this is going to look like. And we weren’t always perfect in that attempt. We had some moments where we had to work through some things in that regard, but overall I’m really happy with how the guys embraced that, and certainly didn’t shy away from it.”

The Eagles finished the season with a 18-6 overall record and an 8-4 record in the Little Hawkeye Conference.