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The inside game of the Pella girls basketball team proved to be too much for Pella Christian last night, as the Dutch defeated the Eagles 47-31 to sweep the season series. The game stayed close for two quarters of play, with Pella holding an 18-17 advantage at the half, but a 12-2 third quarter advantage gave the Dutch the advantage needed to win the game. Pella’s post players accounted for 28 of the team’s 47 points, led by a 17-point performance from Kelsey Fynhardt.

“She’s been playing so well the last couple of weeks,” said Pella Head Coach Jerod Garland. “I think she’s been in double-figures maybe three games in a row now, and she gives us a lot more than scoring. She [Fynhardt] gives us a little toughness and rebounding and does a good job talking defensively, and I thought all of our posts did a good job defensively tonight.”

That’s Pella girls Head Coach Jerod Garland. Fynhardt also pulled down six offensive rebounds, while teammate Hali Steenhoek snared a game-high 12 rebounds to go alongside 8 points. On the other side of the court, Pella Christian’s Courtney Van Kooten had a team-high 7 points and 6 rebounds in a balanced effort by the Eagles. Pella Christian Head Coach Kevin Van Maanen said the difference in the game came down to the fact that his team’s defense wasn’t able to maintain the pressure they put on the Dutch in the first half.

“We just didn’t do that they second half. We got a little stagnant, we got a little hesitant, and starting watching a little too much,” said Van Maanen. “They [Pella] had a good flow, and I thought our defense didn’t quite have the same intensity in the second half as we did in the first half.”

The win bumps Pella to 11-1 in the Little Hawkeye Conference going into a big second meeting with Knoxville on Friday that will likely decide the conference champion; following the Panthers’ loss to Norwalk last night. Pella Christian is now 7-6 in Little Hawkeye Conference play, with a trip to Grinnell up next on the schedule.