The Pella and Pella Christian girls basketball teams entered last night in a virtual tie for second place in the Little Hawkeye Conference, but that was changed in 32 minutes of gameplay; as the Lady Dutch downed the Lady Eagles 53-42 at Pella Christian High School.

Pella Christian led 13-9 through the first quarter, but the Lady Dutch hit their stride in the second frame, out-scoring the Lady Eagles 14-6 as part of a 23-6 run that spanned three quarters.  Pella Christian made one final run to pull within four points late in the third quarter, but the Lady Dutch fought off the rally and maintained at least a six-point advantage the rest of the way.

Tayler Stursma’s 16 points led all players, as she also pulled down five rebounds for the Lady Eagles in the loss.  The Lady Dutch, meanwhile, saw their post players lead the way; with Mackenzie Anthony finishing with 13 points and 5 rebounds and Kelsey Fynaardt tallying 11 points and 6 boards.  

The victory moves Pella into second place in the Little Hawkeye Conference at 5-1 in league play and 7-2 overall.  Pella Christian, meanwhile, is now 3-2 in the conference, and 6-3 overall.  Both teams have Norwalk up next on their schedules, with the Lady Eagles facing the Warriors on Tuesday, and the Lady Dutch will go for a season sweep on the road on Friday.