The Pella Christian basketball teams improved their stature in the Little Hawkeye Conference last night with the Lady Eagles claiming a 76-30 win over Newton and the boys notching a 62-43 triumph over the Cardinals.

The girls’ game was decided from the word “go”. Pella Christian raced out to a 26-8 first quarter lead – thanks in part to the hot outside shooting of Paige Engbers – and never looked back again.

Engbers finished the night with six three-pointers on her way to a 20-point performance, while Tayler Stursma added 15 points and Jasmin Schelhaas chipped in 11. The win pushes the Pella Christian girls to 6-1 overall and 3-0 in the Little Hawkeye Conference. They’ll host Chariton today in non-conference play.

The Pella Christian boys were able to overcome a slow start to steadily pull away from Newton for a 62-43 win last night. Tied at 11-11 midway through the second quarter, the Eagles scored on back-to-back baskets to trigger a 13-4 run to close the half. From there, a 25-point third quarter all but sealed the fate of the Cardinals, as head coach Larry Hessing was able to go deep into his bench as the game wore on.

In all, eight players recorded points for the Pella Christian boys, led by 18 points from Austin Vermeer, and another 13 from Caleb Van Weelden.

The Eagles’ victory moves them to 2-1 in the conference and 6-2 overall. They’ll make the short trip to Oskaloosa to face the Indians on Tuesday.