A sensational 2016 came to an end for Pella High School athletics with a thriller on the basketball floor.

No. 3-ranked Pella’s boys had to keep pace with a pair of young, speedy Norwalk guards and pull out a win in the final seconds against the Warriors 61-60, as heard live on KNIAKRLS.com.

After shaving an 11-point 2nd quarter deficit to just one at the half, the Little Dutch kept it close with their conference foes until Norwalk pulled away with a five point lead at just under four minutes left in the 4th.

The last minutes remained close, with Pella pulling to within one again in the final minute, and Norwalk struggling to get an inbounds play together. All-state Point Guard Nick Finney sealed the deal with a layup on a inbounds pass with 10 seconds remaining.

Pella Head Coach Mark Core says the defense took a big leap forward against an athletic Norwalk team to make a couple of key rallies.

“Honestly, that’s something we’ve been working on in practice,” he says. “We feel like early on, defense has been a little bit tentative, we’ve been holding back a little bit in terms of making the plays whether it be steals or whatever. That’s just not us — we need to get out and make plays defensively.”

Forward Donovan Holterhaus had 12 points and eight rebounds. The boys head into winter break at 5-1.

The undefeated Lady Dutch blew past rival Norwalk in the first game of the doubleheader 71-31. Pella was paced by 24 points, eight rebounds, and three steals from Emily Holterhaus and 11 points each from Kiara Bradley and Chloe Van Vliet.

At 6-0, Pella maintains their No. 1 ranking in Class 4A heading into January.