Strong defense and some timely baskets gave the Pella Christian boys an early second-half lead, but a flurry of points between the third and fourth quarters put West Marshall up for good, as the Trojans downed the Eagles in last night’s season-opener, 54-36.

Eagles’ head coach Larry Hessing said while the defense played well for most of the night, it became apparent that the team did not have the offensive firepower necessary to keep up with West Marshall.

Dan Hessing led Pella Christian in scoring with 10 points; while Caleb Morgan was close behind with 9.

The Eagles return to practice to prepare for Friday night’s contest in Alleman, where they’ll take on North Polk.