What. A. Game.
It took two overtimes in a contest that neither team ever led by more than one possession at the end of any of the six periods to determine a winner in an instant boys basketball classic heard live on 92.1 KRLS, as Pella Christian narrowly defeated crosstown rival Pella 84-83 Friday night.
To begin what should be an exciting slate of Little Hawkeye Conference games over the next two-plus months, the Dutch and Eagles proved to be evenly-matched in front of a packed house at Pella High School, with the home team boys in green and white jumping to several early advantages in the first and second quarters, only for the Eagles — decked in new black uniforms, to keep jumping back into the fray despite the early deficits. Pella claimed the 18-15 advantage after one quarter and held a 34-32 lead at the break, only for the Eagles to flip the score in their favor after three periods at 23-20 to take a narrow one-point edge into the 4th quarter. Several key plays spread among both Tulip City high school rosters kept each team from pulling away from one another, eventually forcing the first and second overtime periods.
The key stretch for Pella Christian came when they found themselves down by five points in the first overtime period, but behind a Bryant Agre three-point play and Jack Vermeer layup, found a way to scratch back in the final minute of OT and force an additional four minutes — which was a gut check for the Eagles, according to Head Coach Larry Hessing.
“Things went our way,” Hessing says. “We had to foul and the Pella shooter missed a free throw, so we had the ball down two points and not much time left, but we got a shot up and got it in and got it into the next period. That was the time where our guys just really battled, didn’t give up, and kept their composure.”
Pella kept the pressure on, taking an early lead in the second overtime period, only for the teams to exchange haymakers halfway through the extra OT period, with Agre and John Oltman trading threes and firing up both crowds, before Josh Van Gorp scored the deciding basket with 50 seconds to spare. The Dutch had their big shot with five seconds remaining, but Oltman just missed a three point basket to win the game, and time expired to give the Eagles a win and a court-storming celebration by the student section. Pella Head Coach Derek Schulte says they did everything they could, but the night would remain bittersweet as they couldn’t ultimately find victory.
“Often times it comes down to one play when you have two really good teams playing and tonight, it seems like it came down to about 15 different plays between the end of regulation and into the first overtime and second overtime,” Schulte says. “I’m disappointed for our guys, I thought that they left it all on the floor, and I’m proud of the effort.”
Several big contributions were made from both teams in the classic match-up. Pella Christian was led by a 23 point, 14 rebound night by Josh Van Gorp; 16 points and three steals by Dan Jungling; 13 points, 10 rebounds, and three blocked shots by Ryan Vande Haar; 12 points by Jack Vermeer; and nine critical points from Bryant Agre, who scored all of his baskets in the two overtime periods.
Pella’s Treyton Sturgeon was a key player for the green and white, with 18 points, seven rebounds, five steals, and three blocks; John Oltman hit five threes to rack up 16 points and tally nine boards; Josh Warner finished with 15 points, eight of which came in the third quarter to keep Pella close with a big Eagles charge, and Logan Shetterly scored 14 points, stole three Eagles passes, and dished five assists.
Pella Christian moves to 2-0 overall and 1-0 in the Little Hawkeye Conference, while Pella drops to 1-1 and starts league play with a loss. The Eagles boys join the girls for a doubleheader Monday in Monroe, which can be heard live on 92.1 KRLS at 5:45 p.m.; Pella is back at home Tuesday when Ballard’s boys and girls come to town, which can also be heard on KRLS.
FULL GAME VIDEO: