Neither Pella team trailed as the Dutch closed out the 2023 calendar year with a basketball sweep of Oskaloosa last night heard live on 92.1 KRLS. The girls game was 51-15 while the boys had a final tally of 75-48.

In the opener, Pella used suffocating defense to score the first 21 points of the game. The Indians didn’t get on the scoreboard until a free throw at the 5:04 mark of the second quarter and didn’t hit their first field goal until 2:21 remained in the half. The Dutch built a 30-6 lead at intermission and had continuous clock on by the end of the third quarter.

While no Pella players hit double figures, 10 of them scored, led by Kennedy Van Vark with nine points. Jenna Oltman led the way with seven rebounds as the Dutch out-rebounded the taller Indians and forced 27 turnovers. Pella is now 8-2 on the season and 1-1 in the Little Hawkeye Conference.

Pella’s boys put four players in double figures as they topped the 70 point mark for the fourth straight game, all of which have resulted in Dutch victories.

Romon Hugan scored eight in the first quarter as the Dutch built a 21-9 advantage. It ballooned to 41-24 at half as Harrison Mullens and Cameron Rowe each scored seven in the second quarter, including Rowe’s 25-footer at the buzzer (pictured above). In the third, Luke Hardman scored eight points as the lead continued to grow and reserves closed out a big chunk of the fourth quarter with the outcome no longer in doubt.

Jack McGuire scored 20 points and grabbed eight boards, both team bests, and Rowe (12), Hugan (11) and Hardman (10) also finished in double figures. Pella is now 5-3 on the season and 2-1 in league play.

Both Dutch teams are off until January fifth when they host Pella Christian in a conference doubleheader.