Facing their toughest test of the new winter season, the Pella girls basketball team made a series of attempts to hang close, but ultimately, the No. 2 North Polk girls pulled away in a 71-49 win over the Dutch, as heard live on KRLS2 Tuesday evening.

Both teams would trade the lead multiple times in the first quarter, but the Comets pulled away with the first of three 9-0+ runs of the evening. Pella pulled the contest to within four points in the 2nd quarter before falling behind by double digits, but opened the 3rd with a 6-0 stretch to tighten the game within six. That would be the closest the Dutch would get to what is considered to be a state title contender, as North Polk at one point extended their margin to 30 by late in the 4th quarter.

Head Coach Blaine Forsythe says his team showed flashes of potential that they can play well for stretches with some of the best in Class 4A.

“I am really proud of the way our girls competed and the effort that they gave. We competed really well for 3 quarters before North Polk was able to put the game out of reach in the 4th. These are the types of games we need early in the season so we can continue to get better. As coaches we will learn from things that we can control and help our players grow offensively and defensively.”

Kamryn Long paced the Dutch on offense with 12 points, followed by Katie Scheckel’s 10 point effort. Pella falls to 2-1 overall and has another major test on Friday when they travel to No. 4 in 4A Norwalk.

On the road west to Carlisle, the Pella girls wrestlers went 1-2 at a quad meet. The Dutch defeated Pleasantville 60-0, but fell to Carlisle 54-30 and Perry 47-16. Head Coach Adam Hale says his young team was challenged by the dual format, but he saw signs of progress over the course of the matchups.

“Overall I was really pleased with how we competed. In our losses we went down fighting and wrestling hard all the way until the end, and in our wins I was happy to see some of the small adjustments we’ve been working on start falling into place. We have a young team, and we’re making some mistakes that will be resolved with more experience and mat time, but they are doing an exceptional job of being sure they’re constantly moving in the match. Several fun matches tonight, and we really love getting to compete against those teams; tough wrestlers with great coaching staffs.”

Elizabeth Thomas led the Dutch with a 3-0 record in varsity matches and Emma Smith was 2-0 against varsity competition. Pella’s girls wrestling team next heads to a tournament Saturday in Newton.