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For the first time in nearly seven years, the Pella girls and boys basketball teams swept Grinnell in their last ever Little Hawkeye Conference doubleheader against each other in a weather-related makeup Thursday evening heard live on 92.1 KRLS.

In a top ten showdown, the #8 in Class 4A Dutch girls rallied back in the second half to knock off the #8 in Class 3A Tigers in overtime 57-52, while the Pella boys held off several late Grinnell rallies to get a 58-52 victory.

Pella’s girls were flustered at times by tight interior defense by the home team — with both key post players contained to just one point through three quarters, all at the same time the Tigers used their high-powered three-point shooting attack to build a nine point lead a t one point in the 3rd period. But the Dutch relied on their chaotic defense to rally at one point to a two-point lead, before the two ranked foes traded big shots that pushed the contest to overtime. Pella was able to hit the big baskets when they counted, and pulled away in the extra four minutes to earn their first win over Grinnell in 13 tries since 2016.

Head Coach Blaine Forsythe says his girls overcame illness and two tough games already this week to earn a signature victory for the squad.

“They showed incredible grit and responded to a number of different runs throughout the game. Being down 9 in the 3rd quarter it would have been easy for us to call it a night. Instead our players increased the intensity and defensive pressure. We were able to capitalize on a number of steals with a couple of made 3’s. We had players under the weather giving incredible effort where they battled for 32 minutes, we had great bench energy, and we had players diving after loose balls.”

FULL INTERVIEW WITH KYLIE TAUKE:

Kylie Tauke finished with 19 points and three critical blocked shots. Kennedy Van Vark added 16 points and nabbed four steals, while Abby Warner scored 10, adding three pickpockets of her own.

Pella’s boys led for the vast majority of their game against Grinnell in game two of the doubleheader, but had to hold off several Tiger rallies throughout the duration, despite stretching their lead to 10 briefly at one point in the 3rd quarter. On a team that features a ton of talented youth, it was the seniors who led the Dutch to victory, with Trey Van Hauen hitting four three-pointers in the game, Luke Keitges hitting three during a critical third quarter stretch, and Cam Schulte coming up with massive rebounds in the fourth quarter.

Pella’s girls are 14-4 overall and 9-2 in the Little Hawkeye Conference, and the Dutch boys are now 10-7 and 5-6 in league competition. Both host Pella Christian tonight, which can be viewed on Pella Dutch Live and heard on 92.1 KRLS at 5:45 this evening.