A basketball program that knows its way around Wells Fargo Arena will return to a “home away from home” for a regular season game and a state football championship rematch tonight.

While the stakes won’t be as high, the #9 in 3A Pella boys basketball team (13-5 overall) is making what the group hopes is only its first trip to the home of the boys state tournament, taking on North Polk (7-10 overall).

This matchup was originally scheduled to take place less than two weeks after the schools competed for the 4A state title at the UNI Dome, but they decided to reschedule the matchup until this point in the year — with the added bonus of competing at Wells Fargo Arena four weeks before the state quarterfinals will be played.

A large portion of this year’s team knows the venue well, having played with the Dutch in the 2024 state basketball tournament last winter, and are surging into a potential run toward the school’s 20th-ever final eight appearance having won nine of their last ten games.

The Comets have struggled since upending then-undefeated Ballard on January 24th, falling in three consecutive conference games. North Polk has defeated the Dutch in each of their past two matchups, with Pella narrowly leading the all-time series 3-2.

Tickets are available for the event that features 9th, JV, and varsity boys competition this evening here. Live coverage of the Pella/North Polk varsity game begins at 6:45 this evening on 92.1 KRLS.