The Pella basketball teams stepped out of conference play Tuesday evening, hosting Ballard in a doubleheader that aired live on 92.1 KRLS. The Lady Dutch kept things close throughout the first half against Class 4A’s sixth-ranked team, but a 29-6 third quarter run by the Bombers put the game out of reach as Pella fell by a final count of 63-34.

Pella trailed 14-10 after the first and 24-20 at halftime, but Head Coach Jerod Garland says that the Bombers made adjustments to start the third quarter that his team couldn’t solve.

“A good first half, definitely not a good third quarter for us. They made some adjustments to their press, and we couldn’t find the answer like we could in the first half. I thought we did a great job against the press in the first half, and it just didn’t happen in the second half. It was a learning experience for our young team.”

The Lady Dutch fall to 2-2 on the season.

It was an entertaining first three quarters, but the Pella boys were able to put the Bombers away in the fourth quarter for a 91-75 victory. The Little Dutch fought back from an early deficit to take a 24-23 lead into the second. Ballard would fight back to lead 46-44 at halftime, and the race was on. Head Coach Derek Shulte says that the end of the third quarter and into the fourth was the difference maker in the contest.

“We felt good about the second half, we’re proud of our response there. Give Ballard credit, I thought they came out and were sharp early. And I think what started the second half rally was about the last minute and a half of the first half, where we were able to cut down an eight point lead to two and had some momentum going into halftime. And I thought our guys played well in all phases in the second half.”

Logan Shetterly led the Little Dutch with 29 points. Treyton Sturgeon scored 20, John Oltman pitched in 18 while Grant Nelson contributed 10. Pella moves to 2-1 on the season, and will return to action Friday at Indianola. That doubleheader will be broadcast live on 92.1 KRLS.