Looking exhausted after back-to-back games on Friday and Saturday, the Pella Christian Eagles’ basketball teams have had a few days to rest and recover, and will make the road trip to a conference game against Norwalk this evening. The Eagles’ girls are 7 – 2 entering play, and are coming off a tough loss to North Polk, where Pella Christian could only muster 23 rebounds and had a bit of a lapse on defense. Coach Kevin Van Maanen would like to see a better job on the boards tonight, more so on the defensive side.
“We just got to make sure we battle hard, compete and just make sure we get those rebounds,” Van Maanen said. “That’s the key, especially on the defensive end. We’ve got to keep teams one shot and done. I stress more on that than crashing the boards offensively. I want them to crash the boards offensively, but for sure defensively, getting those boards.”
The Eagles’ boys also looked a little gassed against North Polk, as they saw their record fall to 6 – 3 on Saturday. They’ll be going up against a Norwalk team that has had some troubles scoring points this season, averaging around 51 total per game. Both the Eagles’ girls’ and boys’ teams are 3 – 0 in the Little Hawkeye Conference entering play tonight, and the doubleheader will be streamed live at kniakrls.com, with Cory Houser and Wynne Veenstra calling the games. Pregame show is at 5:45 p.m. with tip-off at six. There will also be a delayed broadcast of the game on 92.1 KRLS immediately following the Pella High – Knoxville doubleheader.