Despite two spirited comeback attempts in the 2nd half, Pella Christian couldn’t overcome Van Meter in a slow-paced substate boys final, falling 48-46 as heard live on 92.1 KRLS.

The Bulldogs flipped the script on the regular season matchup and jumped to an early lead in the 1st quarter they wouldn’t let go of until late in the 3rd quarter, slowing the tempo and forcing the Eagles to play catch up on a limited number of possessions.

At that lead change, the Eagles–up 32-30, missed a chance to extend that advantage, and by about 6 minutes in the 4th quarter, were down by six after an 8-0 run by Van Meter. Pella Christian closed the game within a possession in the final period, but missed several shots both inside and outside, and couldn’t complete the comeback try.

For the Eagles, Jason Lai scored 11, and Josh Van Gorp knocked in nine second-half points and tallied eight total rebounds. Van Meter’s Ryan Schmitt and Spencer Lamb each scored 17.

Pella Christian finishes a win short of the program’s 15th trip to state, with a final record of 14-9, saying farewell to four seniors.