An inspired final quarter of play was enough to push the Pella High boys basketball team past Williamsburg, as the Little Dutch defeated the Raiders 68-56 Thursday night in a game heard on 92.1 fm KRLS.  The two teams battled back-and-forth throughout the opening three quarters of the Class 3A District final, combining for 8 ties and 14 lead changes before Pella was able to gain momentum and control of the game in the closing minutes.  

Williamsburg had the Little Dutch somewhat stunned in the first half, as the Raiders shot a scalding 68 percent from the floor, including a jaw-dropping three-pointer to beat the buzzer before halftime and take a 36-34 lead to the locker room.  

The tempo slowed in the third quarter, but ultimately the momentum still belonged to Williamsburg, as the Little Dutch were outscored 11-7 in the period.  

Pella owned the fourth quarter, though, opening the period with four quick points and shutting down the Raiders’ offense en route to a 27-9 run to close out the game – which included converting on 15-of-20 attempts at the free throw line.  

Pella’s Chris Bandstra finished with a hard-fought 18-point performance. as he made his final 7 free throws to go 8-of-11 at the charity stripe.  Bandstra also pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds to notch his second postseason double-double.  Pella also got an offensive spark off the bench from Deckar Lynch, who came in to score 13 points for the Little Dutch.  

Williamsburg had three players hit double digits in scoring, led by 15 points from Jackson Petz.  

With the 68-56 victory over Williamsburg, the Pella boys basketball team advances to the Class 3A Substate round to face Mount Pleasant; who defeated Keokuk 60-37 in the District 11 finale.  The Little Dutch will face the Panthers on Monday night in Ottumwa with a shot at the State Tournament on the line.

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