Storylines abound as the Pella and Pella Christian basketball teams get set to square off tonight at Pella High School in the final Little Hawkeye Conference action of the season for both schools.

In the girls game, Pella is trying to avenge their upset loss to the Eagles from earlier this year, while pushing their overall record above .500 and finishing conference play at an even 7-7.  Meanwhile, the Eagles are looking to snap a seven-game losing streak, while senior Allison Van Gorp needs one point to reach the 1,000 mark for her career.  Coach Brad Engbers knows that the Lady Dutch will be focusing on her, and that the rest of the girls will need to do their part if they want to pull the upset again.

“We have to have players step up.  We certainly miss having Emma Witzenberg on the floor because she’s been a playmaker for her all season.  We gotta have somebody else step up and not be afraid to shoot the ball.  We’ve got to have balanced scoring and a balanced attack and then we’ll have a shot at beating them.  But we know Pella’s going to be ready to play as well.”

Pella Christian’s boys have won two straight after a three-game slide, and are looking for their biggest win of the season as they prepare for the playoffs to start next week.  The Little Dutch can clinch an outright Little Hawkeye Conference championship with a victory, and it would also mark their first season sweep of Pella Christian in three years.  Coach Derek Schulte says the Eagles present a big hurdle on his teams’ race to the finish line.

“That’s a really talented team that’s across town, and we know what they’re capable of.  They’ve had some really good wins this year, and anytime you’re in a rivalry game you know it’s going to be an intense battle.  This is against a team that has a great post presence inside and a great mix of guards who can shoot it on the perimeter.  It’s going to be a fun atmosphere, a fun game and a challenging game.  We wouldn’t want it any other way to try to wrap it up.”

Trevor Castle and Andrew Schneider will call the action tonight on 92.1 KRLS.  Pregame starts at 5:45, with the opening tip at 6:15.  Audio commentary will also be available with video on the Pella Dutch Live YouTube channel.