For the third time this season, Pella and Grinnell’s boys basketball teams will square off tonight at Southeast Polk High School. This time, a trip to the state tournament is on the line.

The Little Dutch used their offense to win a 96-94 thriller on their home floor in early December, then turned up the defense in a 59-45 victory at Grinnell in mid-January.

Pella Assistant Coach Jim Dingeman says that playing defense like they did in the second game will be important to keeping their season alive.

“We feel like our defense has been a lot better lately, and I think that’s going to put us in a better position to do well against Grinnell. But with two guys as talented as (Sam) Allen and (Cade) McKnight, we are really going to have to buckle down and play really well just to get past them.”

Pella is 21-2 on the season, ranked second in class 3-A, while the Tigers had to win their first two postseason games just to get above .500 at 12-11. The Little Dutch won the Little Hawkeye Conference at 12-2, while the Tigers finished seventh at 5-9.

Live coverage from Southeast Polk High School starts at 6:30 tonight on 92.1 KRLS, with Trevor Castle and Mike Buchheit on the call. Opening tip is at 7:00.