Pella’s basketball teams celebrated wins with history honored between a sweep of Newton on Friday, as heard live on 92.1 KRLS. The Dutch girls snapped a five-game losing streak in a 58-50 contest, while the #3 in 3A boys continued their reign atop the conference in a 57-43 victory.

The Dutch girls surged ahead in the opener to a 26-13 lead, only for the road team Cardinals to hit an 11-0 flurry at the end of the half. The back-and-forth matchup remained competitive, with Newton even gaining a lead in the 3rd. A series of consecutive three pointers made gave the Dutch some space.

“We got off to a fast start in the first quarter. I am proud of the way our players responded to Newton’s second quarter run. It was great for our players to pull out a close game in the fourth quarter and finish it at the free throw line,” said Head Coach Blaine Forsythe.

Emma Walkup finished with 17 points and Kamryn Long with 16. Pella’s girls improve to 8-8 overall and 4-4 in league competition.

On a night that Pella Boys Basketball Coach Derek Schulte celebrated his birthday, the team recognized a big part of its history. The 2021 championship team was recognized between games for its 5th anniversary.

Pella’s #3 ranked team took over from there, building an early lead they ultimately wouldn’t let go of. The Newton boys surged into the half time break to make in a three point game, but the Dutch were steady in the 2nd half and had their own big run to push the lead into double figures late in the 3rd quarter. Austin Schulte had 20 points to lead the way for the green and white.

The Dutch boys have now won seven games in a row to improve to 14-2 overall and their 7-1 record remains tops in the Little Hawkeye Conference.

The Pella basketball teams are back in action today in a weather-related makeup at Fort Madison.