A pair of close contests tilted the way of the Dutch basketball teams on the long road east to Keokuk Tuesday night, with the Pella girls toppling #13 in 4A Keokuk in overtime 58-52 and the boys outlasting the Chiefs 59-52, as heard live on 92.1 KRLS.

The girls contest was not as clean as either team would have hoped, with 52 combined turnovers and several missed shots keeping the pace uneven throughout. The Dutch fell behind by as much as six points late in the 4th quarter. A late steal and score by Kamryn Long forced the game into a fifth period, and Pella controlled the final four minutes to find a needed win over a ranked foe. Katie Scheckel led the way with 16 points and ten rebounds.

Pella’s boys traded leads early with Keokuk in a game featuring two teams highlighted in multiple preseason polls. At one point in the 3rd quarter, the Dutch opened up to an 11-point lead, only for the Chiefs to rally back into control briefly before the end of the 3rd. Austin Schulte took over festivities from there, scoring 11 of his 18 total points in the 4th quarter — which included a pair of shot clock buzzer-beating three-pointers. Pella held off a 20-point, 16-point performance from 6-10 Keokuk Junior Jaxon Clark.

The Dutch girls are now 3-2 and the boys found their first victory of the new winter season to move to 1-1 overall. Pella’s basketball teams return to action in a two-team doubleheader on Thursday, with the girls welcoming #12 in 4A Carlisle and the boys taking on 2023 1A state champions Grand View Christian. Coverage will begin at 5:45 p.m. on 92.1 KRLS and Pella Dutch Live.

Hear from Pella basketball players Maggie Thompson and Austin Schulte on Thursday’s Lely Radio Sports Page.