The Pella High girls’ basketball team has surged since their loss to Ballard in early December. They’ve won nine in a row, they are 11 – 2 overall, and have three starters averaging at least ten points per game this season. Even with the strong play of their “big three”: Katie Vander Molen, Jessica Holterhaus, and Mackenzie Gustafson, the Lady Dutch have benefited from the skills of their bench players. Tuesday’s win over A-D-M was no different; Pella was down by nine at one point in the third quarter and battled back to get within striking range, mostly thanks to their sophomore “secret weapon,” Ciara Buchheit, who scored 11 of her 17 points in the fourth quarter, including a game-tying triple in a critical spot. Coach Jerod Garland says it was a big game for his tenth-grader and that he’s happy to be able to have so much talent to turn to on the bench. Buchheit is averaging nine points per game over Pella’s last four contests. They hope to run their winning streak to ten tomorrow night for a big road conference clash at Dallas Center – Grimes.