The second time around was much closer than the first, but the end result was the same as the Pella basketball teams completed the season sweep of Newton, as heard in a varsity doubleheader on 92.1 KRLS Friday.

The Lady Dutch won 46-39 and the No. 2 in Class 3A Pella boys were 69-64 winners over the Cardinals, in stark contrast to December 18th when both games went to 38 point margins and continuous clock.

In the girls’ opener, Pella never settled into any kind of offensive rhythm, knocked off balance by lengthy Newton possessions and never finding the same kind of margin they had in the blowout victory earlier in the season. Pella was led by 13 points from Madison Naig and an 11-point, six rebound day from Jasmine Namminga. The Pella girls are 8-7 overall and 4-5 in league competition.

No. 2 Pella surged to a 43-26 halftime lead in the night cap, only for an eight-point offensive effort in the 3rd quarter that opened the door for the underdog Cardinals to close the gap. The road team scored 22 points in the 4th quarter, but strong foul shooting (15-of-19 overall) and key stops late allowed the Dutch to hang on and stay unblemished in the Little Hawkeye.

Pella Head Coach Derek Schulte says he’s hopeful at some point for the team to find more consistency late in games and to pull away from competition instead of opening the door to potential comebacks; a feat easier said than done with how badly teams want to knock off the league leaders.

Grant Nelson scored 31 points on a 7-of-11 three point shooting night, and Karl Miller added 14 points.

No. 2 Pella is up to 13-1 overall and 9-0 in conference competition, and both varsity basketball teams head to Norwalk for a girls-boys doubleheader Monday night live on 92.1 KRLS.