Photo courtesy of Troy L. Hugen Photography
The Pella Christian basketball teams have their first doubleheader of the season tonight, hosting Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont on Eagle Lane.
The Eagles girls basketball squad is looking to carry the momentum of a 2-0 start to the season into tonight’s contest, after earning a pair of double-digit wins over Davis County and Class 1A #3 Montezuma. The Class 2A #1 Rockets are off to a 3-0 start to the year, having defeated Lynnville-Sully, Pleasantville, and 2A #3 Cascade. In the Bound era, the Pella Christian girls hold a 16-7 advantage in the series dating back to 2007, but EBF has won the last four meetings in the matchup. Eagles head coach Brendan Foughty says that one of the keys to snapping that four-game losing streak in the series is being sound defensively and not allowing the Rockets extra opportunities to score.
“If we give them second chance opportunities because we’re not boxing out and getting rebounds, it can be ugly against that team, and that’s what makes them good. The Shafer twins, they’re just disruptive, they’re long, they get extra possessions, even if they just tip it out on an offensive rebound. And so, they certainly can frustrate you that way. But it starts on the defensive end, executing, communicating, rebounding, and finishing possessions with the ball in our hands.”
The boys contest tonight between Pella Christian and Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont marks the first game of the season for both teams. Since 2011, the Eagles and Rockets have met on the court ten times, with six of those matchups coming since 2021. Pella Christian is 9-1 against EBF in the all-time series, with the Eagles opening and ending the Rockets season last winter to hold a current two-game winning streak in the matchup. Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont’s lone win in the series came in the second game of the year during the 2022-2023 season.
Coverage of Pella Christian’s basketball doubleheader against Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont can be heard live on 92.1 KRLS, beginning with the Scooter’s Coffee Radio Pregame Show for the girls contest tonight at 5:45 pm.