The Class 2A Substate 6 Final came down to the final seconds, but the Pella Christian Eagles boys basketball team upset the #6 ranked West Burlington Falcons 54-53 in a battle of the birds heard live on 92.1 KRLS and on the Indians Network via Oskaloosa High School.

It was a back-and-forth affair between Pella Christian and West Burlington, as neither team ever led by more than eight points. An Aiden Stoltz layup just before the first quarter buzzer gave the Eagles a 12-10 lead. West Burlington narrowly won the second quarter 16-14 to tie the game at 26-26 at halftime. Pella Christian opened the second half with a 6-2 run in the first 1:45, but the Falcons responded by finishing the third quarter with a 12-2 run to take a 40-34 lead. The Eagles saved their best for last however, using a 16-9 surge to hold a 50-49 lead with a 1:00 remaining in the game. After made free throws by West Burlington, Stoltz connected with Dane Geetings for a layup to reclaim a 52-51 lead for Pella Christian, then Geetings drew a charge on defense and the Eagles held on for the upset win.

Qualifying for the State Tournament for the second time in his three years as Eagles head coach, J.D. Boer said he’s excited that his team gets to end their season on the big stage in Des Moines.

“Anytime you get a chance to end your career or end your season at Wells Fargo Arena, it’s a special time. And man, I’m happy for these guys that they get that opportunity.”

Stoltz, the lone returning starter from last season’s State Tournament Semifinalist squad, added that he was proud of the team’s grit and is excited to return to Wells Fargo Arena.

“It feels even better just because it’s my senior year. But no, I’m just really proud of us and the way we played, and we had a lot of turnovers tonight, but we kept we flushed it, moved on and made some plays after.”

Pella Christian improves to 15-9 on the season and earned the fourth seed in the Class 2A State Tournament. They will play fifth-seeded MFL-Mar Mac at 7:15 p.m. on Monday, March 6th at Wells Fargo Arena.

Eagle fans can order State Tournament apparel until Monday, February 27th through BSN sports by clicking here.