The Pella Christian boys basketball team’s bid for a third consecutive State Tournament appearance came up short Saturday night, as they fell to Iowa City Regina 64-59 in the Class 2A Substate 5 Final heard live on 92.1 KRLS.

The Eagles grabbed the early advantage in the contest, taking a 17-9 lead in the game’s opening 5:45, but the Regals ended the period on a 5-0 run to pull within three. Regina continued the run scoring seven of the first nine points of the second quarter to grab their first lead at 21-19, 2:45 into the period. The two teams traded baskets until the final minute of the second quarter, when the Regals closed the half on a 4-0 run to take a 39-35 lead at the break. The Eagles found themselves down ten midway through the third quarter, but a 13-4 run to end the period pulled them within 53-50 entering the final eight minutes of action. Pella Christian kept the deficit within one to six points throughout the fourth quarter, and had a chance to tie the game with 20 seconds remaining, but their three-pointer was off the mark. 

Dane Geetings wrapped up his high school career with a game-high 24 points, while Tysen De Vries and Josiah Vos closed out their careers with 11 points each. Following the tough season ending loss, Eagles head coach JD Boer credited Regina for executing their game plan.

“I just want to give a ton of credit to Regina Regals. I thought those guys played an excellent game. I thought they had a great game plan. They’re a very well coached team and their guys came out and played with a lot of freedom and made some big shots and weren’t afraid of the moment. And tonight, they really, really did a great job.”

Pella Christian’s season concludes with an 18-6 record, and the Eagles graduate eight seniors in Geetings, De Vries, Vos, Isaiah Breems, Caleb Van Arendonk, Kaden Kruid, Benny Schirz, and Trae Van Maanen.