Trailing 44-38 near the midway point of the fourth quarter of Class 3A Substate 7 boys basketball championship, Pella finished with a 13-1 flurry to knock off Winterset 51-45 and advance to the state tournament in a game heard live on 92.1 KRLS.

The Dutch scored the final six points of the first quarter to take a 12-10 lead, finishing with a Tyson Barnes put back with one second left. The Huskies shot 45-percent from the three-point line in the first half as they built a five-point lead, but Pella’s Austin Schulte drilled a three-pointer at the buzzer and Winterset took a 28-26 lead into intermission.

A low-scoring third quarter saw the Huskies maintain their edge, 38-35 going to the fourth, and they scored six of the first night points in the final frame as they built their six point lead. That’s when Pella started chipping away. After going 4-for-18 from the three-point line in the first three quarters, the Dutch did not attempt a single long ball in the fourth, instead attacking the glass and scoring from close range.

The Dutch were clinging to a 47-45 lead when Winterset’s Sam Hensley missed a contested shot in the lane, and Luke Hardman grabbed the defensive rebound. With 42 seconds left, Winterset chose to play defense and let the clock wind down. Brayden Traetow’s driving layup was blocked, only for it to land in Schulte’s lap for the game-clinching layup with six seconds remaining. Traetow added a pair of free throws for the final margin.

Pella’s five seniors joined Trevor Castle in the postgame show on 92.1 KRLS. Enjoy the full interview on Today’s Lely Radio Sports Page with Romon Hugan, Cameron Rowe, Luke Hardman, Cade McGinley and Parker Hemming.

At the follow up at state on March 5th, for nearly 36 minutes, the Pella boys basketball team gave #2 Waverly-Shell Rock all they could handle, but a last second foul and free throw made by the Go-Hawks was the difference in an overtime thriller heard live on 92.1 KRLS. The Dutch fell 65-64 in the Class 3A state quarterfinals.

Pella showed early they were in Des Moines for a game, and at one point, built a seven-point lead in the 1st quarter. The Go-Hawks countered, earning a four-point advantage by late in the 2nd frame. Neither team would lead by more than a possession from halftime and beyond. While the Dutch forced 14 Waverly turnovers, they had four of their own shots blocked and lost the rebound margin 33-24, and missed a few key free throws down the stretch that made the difference in overtime. Pella was able to tie the game at 64-all before committing a foul with just under two seconds remaining.

Pella finished 2024 at 15-10 overall.