Pella Christian Bowling Teams Split with Knoxville
The Pella Christian boys bowling team defeated Knoxville 2325-2226 Saturday afternoon to earn their first win of the season, while the girls squad fell to the Panthers 1838-1599. With both teams posting their highest team scores of the season, Eagles head coach Rod Blunck said that both teams performed well in the contest, and that they are excited to build on the improvements they have seen so far this season. Helping guide the Pella Christian boys to their first victory this winter was Dylan Klaasen with a two-game series of 356, followed by Andrew Van Kooten at 331. Ethan Klaasen and Caleb Seieroe also recorded scores over 300, with Caleb bowling a two-game series of 312 and Ethan finishing with a 307. Macy Van Der Hart led the Eagle girls in the loss with a two-game series of 272, followed by AnnaBelle Carter at 239 and Payten Van Haaften at 196. The Pella Christian boys improved to 1-5 overall on the season with the victory, while the girls fell to 0-6 overall. The Eagles bowling teams return to action for their first of two matches this week on Friday, traveling to D Ray Lanes to square off with Centerville, before hosting a triangular with Newton and Oskaloosa at Statesmen Lanes in Oskaloosa on Saturday.
Pella Christian Hosts Knoxville in Non-Conference Basketball Doubleheader Monday
The Pella Christian basketball teams kick-off a busy week on Eagle Lane Monday, hosting Knoxville in a non-conference doubleheader.
The Eagle girls, who will be playing in the fourth of six games in a 12-day span, are looking to bounce back from a tough end of a busy slate last week. Pella Christian began the week with a seven-point win over Van Meter last Monday, before suffering a pair of double-digit losses to Newton and Pella last Tuesday and Friday. Looking to get back on track, the Eagles face a winless Panthers squad that fell to Pella and Albia a week ago. Despite Knoxville’s struggles so far this season, Pella Christian head coach Jon Mumm says they have to treat this game like any other game on their schedule.
“Every game is the most important game of the season. You can’t even worry about who the opponent is, you just have to worry about how hard you’re playing, your effort, your attitude. If we just take care of what we need to do and control what we can control, then the scoreboard should be pretty positive.”
In the nightcap, the Eagle boys are also looking for a bounce back game. Pella Christian defeated Newton by 12 last Tuesday, but struggled in a 16-point loss to Pella on Friday night. Knoxville is also coming off a 1-1 showing a week ago, falling by 27 points to Pella last Monday, before bouncing back for a 46-point victory over Albia on Friday. Eagles head coach Joe Steinkamp knows this matchup presents another tough test for his squad, but says that games like this one will continue to help the team come later this season.
“We just keep telling our guys, these high-level, competitive games are gonna be so good for us. We learn about ourselves, we have to make adjustments and improvements to be able to play against these level of teams, and I think that’s really gonna help us when it comes to February and hopefully into March.”
Coverage of Pella Christian’s doubleheader against Knoxville Monday can be heard on 92.1 KRLS and viewed on the Pella Christian YouTube channel, beginning with pregame coverage at 5:45 pm.