At the midway point of the 2021-22 Little Hawkeye Conference season, Pella (8-4 overall, 4-3 in LHC) finds themselves in 4th in the girls basketball standings and ranked 13th in Class 4A. While the Dutch have dominated the opponents they should have based on the BCMoore power rankings website, they’ve been handled by the Top 8 of Class 4A and the top three in the conference standings — Dallas Center-Grimes, Grinnell, and Indianola, and have yet to defeat a team while they have been in the IGHSAU rankings (they do have a win over now #15 Norwalk). The second round robin of the conference season starts on Friday, January 21st — all teams in the Little Hawkeye play each other twice in a home-away series each winter.
Head Coach Blaine Forsythe on the first half of the LHC season:
“Overall, I’m happy with the first go-around — obviously not with the first three losses, but I think we’ve learned a lot about our team. I think we’re a team that’s going to compete and give really good effort every single night and I’m really excited about the opportunity to go and play those top three teams and make some adjustments and make those more competitive basketball games.”
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First Half Conference Stat Leaders:
Anna Vander Waal, senior guard – 42 assists (3rd in LHC), 10.3 points per game (1st on team), 40% three-point percentage (4th in LHC)
Mia Warner, junior forward – 7.5 rebounds per game (3rd in LHC), 37 offensive rebounds (leads conference)
Anna Childerston, senior guard – 24 three-pointers made (4th in LHC)
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Games to watch coming up:
Pella at Des Moines Christian – Tuesday 1/18 (92.1 KRLS)
This non-conference road contest will help determine if the Dutch can stay in the 4A rankings — critical for postseason seeding. Pella narrowly edged a ranked Lions team last year in a final minute victory, but both teams have changed significantly since 2021. Des Moines Christian has lost to Pella’s LHC opponents Grinnell and DCG this season by 27 and 38 points respectively — similar to the results Pella suffered in their first matchups with the Tigers and Mustangs.
Pella vs. Norwalk – Tuesday 1/25 (92.1 KRLS/Pella Dutch Live YouTube)
This is likely the battle for 4th place in the loaded Little Hawkeye Conference and will likely determine the 4th school from the league that earns a first round bye in the playoffs and a home game. Both are in the bottom half of the 4A rankings, and the winner could propel themselves into a strong regional tournament seed with a victory.
Pella vs. Des Moines North – Monday 1/31 (92.1 KRLS/Pella Dutch Live YouTube)
This Des Moines North matchup brings a strong measure of intrigue and a unique opponent for Pella — replacing the long-standing PCM game, this is an upgrade in strength of foe with a metro school could make for a barn-burner of a showdown. Des Moines North has the 8th best defense in Class 5A (38.4 points allowed per game) and is 8-5 heading into this weekend. The battle of the schools in green-and-white was last played with Pella dominating the Polar Bears with a pair of 70 point wins in 2013 and 2014 — but North has come a long way in that time.