They may have been closer games, but Pella Christian’s basketball teams ended up on top of both contests Tuesday night to earn the sweep in the “Tulip City Rivalry” in 2013. The girls’ contest ended in a 55 – 40 final score, but it did the game no justice, as the two teams traded leads 14 times throughout the game, were tied at 35 at the end of three quarters, and they were separated by one with a little over three minutes to go. The Eagles finished the game on a 16 – 0 run, with a majority of those points coming from the free throw line. Eagles’ head coach, Kevin Van Maanen, said that his girls really toughened up in the second half and down the stretch. Sheldon Rozenberg led the attack for Pella with 12 points, while it was Cori Uitermarkt dominating the post with 17 points, and Paige Engbers added 16. The Lady Dutch fall to 7 – 10 on the year and 4 – 5 in the conference, while the Eagles improve to 14 – 3 overall and have an 8 – 1 record in the Little Hawkeye Conference. The boys’ battle was also close at the half, but the Eagles took advantage of several third quarter Little Dutch turnovers to walk away with a 59 – 45 win. Pella Christian implemented a zone defense in the second half that baffled Pella and forced them to make several mistakes down the stretch. Blake Riggen led all scorers with 15 points, Isaac Naaktgeboren had a team-high 11 points and nine rebounds for the now 10 – 6 Little Dutch, and the Eagles improve their record to 13 – 4. Knoxville is the next trip on the schedule for Pella, while the Eagles will come home for a rematch against Norwalk on Friday.

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