In a pair of games that came down to the final seconds, Pella swept a basketball doubleheader at Indianola last night as heard live on KRLS2. The Dutch girls won 46-45, while the boys needed overtime for a 69-66 victory.
The first quarter of the girls game was back-and-forth with Pella building a 19-14 lead. They made it 31-23 at halftime, and the lead swelled to 13 after scoring a quick five points to start the third. But Indianola clawed back, cutting the deficit to just five at the end of that frame, and they eventually took a 45-44 lead with under a minute to play.
Pella’s Kamryn Long took the ball for Pella’s final possession inside of 30 seconds and attacked with a drive down the left side of the lane, banking in the go-ahead layup, and the Dutch could finally exhale with Indianola’s Madison Grover saw her layup attempt spin out as the final buzzer sounded.
Long led Pella with 15 points as they won their ninth straight game to improve to 11-2 on the season and 4-1 in the Little Hawkeye Conference.
Pella’s boys unleashed a three-point barrage in the first half of the nightcap, building a 34-29 advantage off the strength of nine long balls. The Dutch led most of the second half, but Indianola kept it within reach and eventually tied the game at 58-58 in the final seconds. Pella got the last shot, but Jack McGuire’s 12-foot jumper was just off the mark, sending the two teams to overtime.
The Indians had a three point lead at the halfway point of the extra frame when Austin Schulte hit a three-pointer to tie it and McGuire followed with a dunk to take the lead. Indianola again tied it, at 66-66, and the Dutch had another chance at the final shot. This time, they connected, as Schulte drilled his seventh three-pointer of the night as the buzzer sounded to send the Pella crowd into a frenzy.
Schulte finished with 27 points and McGuire added 17. The Dutch are 7-4 overall and 4-1 in the LHC.
Up next for both Pella squads is a trip to Grimes on Friday for a conference doubleheader against league leading DCG.
Pella Girls Wrestlers Earn Home Quad Dual Sweep
Head Coach Adam Hale:
“We ended up winning all three of our duals on the night which is a nice feeling, but really what I was most pleased with was the progress and effort our girls showed. We had so many that were doing a better job of controlling ties, looking for and getting to their offense, battling through some tough positions. It was really good to see. Having our two seniors both go 3-0 on Senior Night was a nice touch. In different ways they’ve both impacted our program. Bri Shannon just joined our team this year but has shown tremendous growth which is no shock to anyone as she is a very hard worker, very self-motivated, and isn’t afraid to ask questions. We’ve appreciated all she’s added to the makeup of our team and her taking a chance on trying something new her senior season. And not enough can be said about Elizabeth Thomas and the impact she has had on our program. As I’m sure is well known, it was her and Jasey Olson that really started this whole thing. Those two started wrestling before girls wrestling was sanctioned and were a part of the boys team. Elizabeth is the first Pella girl to wrestle all four years of high school, and she has done so with an explosive style that is fun to watch. But beyond her wrestling she has brought solid leadership, a good sense of humor, and done a really nice job of taking younger wrestlers (whether in our high school, middle school, or youth levels of our program) under her wing and bringing them along.”
Results of duals:
Pella 54, English Valleys 12
Pella 46, Newton 28
Pella 60, Norwalk 6
Individual results:
100 – Bailey Schakel, 2-1
105 – Ani Bell, 3-0
110 – Jenna VanWyk, 3-0, 2 Falls
115 – Isabella Smith, 2-1, 1 Fall
120 – Danica VanBaale, 3-0, 1 Fall
125 – Bri Shannon, 3-0, 2 Falls
130 – Lyndon Norton, 2-1
135 – Elizabeth Thomas, 3-0, 3 Falls
145 – Emma Smith, 3-0, 2 Falls
155 – Abbi Lemke, 2-1, 1 Major Decision
190 – Aspen Kramer, 1-2