Not really playing at full-strength at the time, Coach Mark Core and the Pella High boys’ basketball team were 5 – 2 entering Christmas break. Their only two losses were to Dallas Center-Grimes and Grinnell. The Little Dutch were playing without the Clayberg brothers, Noah and Nathan. The latter was the conference’s leading rebounder in the 2012-13 season and one of the best in the state. Coach Core says that he was happy with where the team was at heading into the extended intermission. Pella would lose just two more games the rest of the season, again to the Mustangs and to the Tigers and went 19 – 4 this year.