The moment that every team waits all season for has finally arrived for the Pella High girls basketball team as the Dutch will host Ballard tonight in its opening game of the 2024 postseason.

Thirteenth-ranked Pella received an opening round bye, while the Bombers beat Newton 38-26 on Wednesday night to advance to this regional semifinal. Ballard is 13-8 overall while the Dutch are 15-6. Head coach Blaine Forsythe says that the game plan calls for up-tempo action for 32 minutes.

“When we’re playing fast, we feel like we’re playing our best basketball. Whether that be out in transition on the offensive end or creating havoc on the defensive end. Whether it’s in the full court or the half court, we’re really looking to push that pace and create different opportunities with the challenges that they present.”

While the Dutch and the Bombers played at least one time every year from 2009 to 2019, they haven’t played since. Ballard won the last two meetings, with Pella’s last win in the series coming in 2017.

Tipoff is tonight at 7:00 at Pella High School, and we’ll have live coverage on 92.1 KRLS and Pella Dutch Live on YouTube, beginning with pregame at 6:30.