The 4th-seeded Pella Christian Eagles will square off with the top-seeded Central Lyon Lions in the Class 2A State Semifinals Thursday Morning.

Central Lyon dominated the 8 seed Red Oak Monday night in a wire-to-wire 68-34 victory to advance to the semifinals. The Lions (23-2 overall) finished runner-up in the Siouxland Conference behind Boyden-Hull. The Lions average the third most points per game in Class 2A with 74.5 and shot the fourth highest percentage from 3-point range at 38%. Leading the scoring charge is a trio of upperclassmen. Junior guard Zach Lutmer averages 20.4 points per game, while senior guard Mason Gerleman scores 17.7 per contest and junior forward Andrew Austin adds 13.7 points per game. 

The Eagles do have a height advantage on the Lions, whose tallest player is listed at 6’6”. That advantage could be negated by the physicality of the Central Lyon squad. Eagles Head Coach J.D. Boer says his team will need to be prepared for the physical nature of the Lions.

“You know, they are a big, physical team. Central Lyon’s a football powerhouse. Those kids know where the weight room is at. It doesn’t take long to look at them and know they’ve spent some time in the weight room. So, it’ll be preparing for that level of physicality. I imagine that the rebounds are going to be a big part of it, but it’s also just diving into some film and making sure that we’re prepared for what they’re going to show us.”

Coverage of Pella Christian’s state semifinal matchup with Central Lyon begins Thursday at 10:00 a.m. on 92.1 KRLS.