The #9 in Class 3A Pella boys basketball team has high hopes in making it back-to-back state tournament appearances, and that potential journey begins tonight as the Dutch welcome Des Moines Hoover to town.

The Class 3A substate opening round matchup features Pella (16-6 overall, 2nd in the Little Hawkeye Conference) welcoming a Huskies team (4-17, tied-5th in the Iowa Alliance South) that has struggled to find victory but challenged several strong opponents this winter, including a recent matchup with #4 in 3A Ballard that was a seven-point loss.

Head Coach Derek Schulte says his team needs to avoid taking anything for granted and tap into the energy that led them to a 12-2 stretch since two losses to open the 2025 portion of the schedule.

Schulte previews the matchup:

Coverage of the 3A substate opener at Pella High School begins at 6:30 this evening on 92.1 KRLS and Pella Dutch Live on YouTube.