A pair of close clashes on Eagle Lane went separate ways as the second half of the Little Hawkeye Conference rotation started with Pella Christian and Norwalk splitting a varsity basketball doubleheader heard on 92.1 KRLS Friday.
Norwalk finished the season sweep of the Eagles girls 41-34, while the Eagles boys mounted a massive second half charge to come back and knock off the Warriors 55-51.
The nightcap was a tale of two halves — Norwalk was in control after the home team Eagles jumped to an 8-2 lead through the first few minutes. Balance was evident in the Warriors lineup, as seven different players scored the 34 first-half points for the defending conference champions. However, Pella Christian started the 3rd quarter on an 11-0 run over the first 3:22 in the period, and held Norwalk to five points to close the quarter with a two point lead. Norwalk Head Coach Chris Larson says a series of bad events in that third quarter ultimately cost them the game.
The Eagles had a pair of three-point plays from Niko Schirz and Eric Mulder to stretch that advantage to 10 points with 5:56 remaining in regulation. But the Warriors came firing back in the 4th, leading to a Grant Larson 3-pointer with a minute remaining after the Eagles scored just one point over a four-minute stretch. Levi Schelhaas poured in a long-range three to answer with 34 seconds remaining, which ultimately became the game-winner. The Eagles missed seven free throws — including the front end of three one-and-one opportunities in the final eight minutes. Eagles Head Coach JD Boer is excited with how P.C. came firing out of the break, but acknowledges they nearly handed the game back to Norwalk after poor situational basketball down the stretch.
Pella Christian’s boys improve to 7-7 overall and 4-4 in the league, while the Norwalk boys fall to 8-4 and 4-3 in the league.
In the opener, Pella Christian jumped to a 9-2 advantage halfway through the first quarter — but at that moment, the Eagles top two scorers collided, which busted the lip of Allison Van Gorp — who needed frequent breaks over the rest of the game, and eventually kept Emma Witzenberg out for the entire second half, changing the flow of the contest. Norwalk’s top two took full advantage, as Jocelyn Bice and Bren Moritz racked up a combined 35 of the team’s 41 points as the Warriors dominated from that critical juncture.
The Norwalk girls are now 5-2 in league action and 7-6, winning six of their last seven games overall; Pella Christian falls to 8-6 and 4-4 in the Little Hawkeye Conference.
The Warriors travel to Indianola today for the Warren County showdown. Live coverage starts at 5:45 p.m. on 94.3 KNIA this evening. Pella Christian returns to take on the Indians’ Tuesday on the road, which is live on 94.3 KNIA and the KRLS2 stream.