Photo courtesy of Troy L. Hugen Photography

A complete team effort lifted the Pella Christian girls basketball team to a 56-51 victory over Class 1A #10 Montezuma heard live on KNIAKRLS.com Tuesday night.

The Eagles struggled out of the gates, as the Bravettes took a 14-9 lead at the end of the first quarter. The momentum shifted in the second quarter, as Chloe Nikkel scored the first four points of the period to pull Pella Christian back within one with 6:23 remaining in the first half. From there, the Eagles offense continued to roll, outscoring Montezuma 8-4 in the final six and a half minutes of the second quarter to take a 21-18 lead into halftime. Pella Christian kept the pressure on the ranked Bravettes squad out of the break, extending the lead to 37-31 by the end of the third quarter, after Jessa De Vries buried her second three-pointer of the period at the buzzer. Despite being narrowly outscored in the fourth quarter, the Eagles got several key baskets down the stretch from De Vries, Sophia Slagter, and Brynn Runner to keep Montezuma at bay for the five-point win. 

Rachel Kacmarynski posted a double-double for the Eagles in the victory, recording a game-high 20 points and 14 rebounds. De Vries added 18 points and five assists, while Addie Van Arendonk pulled down 12 rebounds, including six offensive boards. Runner was tasked with guarding the Bravettes’ top returning scorer, and recorded four blocks while limiting her opponent to just four made shots. As a team, the Eagles had 56 total rebounds, with 23 coming on the offensive end. 

Pella Christian improved to 1-1 overall on the season, and will have a scrimmage on Friday at 10 am against North Mahaska before returning to regular season play on Tuesday at Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont at 6 pm.