Pella couldn’t pull away until late against a hard-fighting Grinnell team, in a 77-60 postseason basketball win heard live on 92.1 KRLS Thursday.

The Little Dutch at times struggled to put away a hard charging Tigers team, led by senior Jake Hull and another sparkling 31 point performance. But every time Grinnell pulled close, Pella had an answer, including a 6-0 run by Grant Nelson to begin the 4th quarter which eventually allowed the home team to take control.

Nelson says the win once again showed off how deep the team is and why they can be a tough out even when some of their top players have an off night.

“Just knowing our roles and playing within ourselves, and if somebody is not on, we have two other people who can be on, so once we just share the ball and get the shots we want, shots will fall for people,” he says. “Josh [Warner] did a great job of driving and kicking, Treyton was strong on the boards and on the finishes, and Parker played a great game defensively.”

Full interview with Nelson:

Treyton Sturgeon had far from an off-night, scoring 29 points and grabbing seven rebounds, while Nelson finished with 12 points and five steals.

Pella will get another round three bout on Monday in the Class 3A substate finals — defending 3A champions Oskaloosa advanced, and the two rivals will clash at Knoxville High School, where the Dutch are seeking their 17th-ever state tournament bid.