The Pella Christian girls basketball team seemed to be in cruise control after one half, but lost traction down the stretch in their 53-33 victory over Earlham Saturday night.

The now 5-5 Eagles led by a 36-9 margin after the first 16 minutes, and looked poised to run away with the game. But the Cardinals outscored the Eagles in the last two periods by a 24-17 margin in a game that included dozens of jump balls and 72 combined turnovers.

Head Coach Kevin Van Maanen says it was a tale of two halves, and his girls were unable to come out of the locker room with the same kind of ability they played with early.

The Eagles were led by nine points and five steals from Brooke Mitrisin, and 12 points, six steals, and seven rebounds by freshman Mary Kate Bandstra.

Pella Christian begins their toughest four game stretch of the season Tuesday when they host conference foe Grinnell, the first contest in a boys-girl doubleheader that can be heard live on 92.1 KRLS at 6 p.m