Photo by Lisa Morgan

A tough opening foe proved to be too much for the Pella Christian girls basketball team as they fell to Van Meter to open the season 49-40 Monday night. While the Eagles defense was able to largely keep the Bulldogs in check, uneven offense prevented P.C. from keeping pace in the contest. Chloe Morgan led the Eagles with 13 points and Avery Baugh scored nine, with each hitting three from beyond-the-arc. The Eagles open at 0-1 and welcome No. 1 in 1A Montezuma to Eagle Lane this evening, with varsity tip at 7:30 p.m.