The 2021 State 3A Boys Basketball Champions. Photo by the IHSAA
The Pella High boys basketball team won the third state championship in program history with a 68-59 win over Ballard at Wells Fargo Arena last night in a game heard live on 92.1 KRLS.
The top-ranked Bombers only led once in the game, 1-0, but it was a tight battle throughout with Pella leading by exactly four points at the end of the first, second and third quarters. It was still just a three-point game when the Little Dutch used their patented three-point game to create some separation.
A Noah Allen three-pointer gave Pella a 59-53 lead, and the Little Dutch made just enough free throws down the stretch to ice their first state title in 18 years. Coach Derek Schulte says that it was a bit of an unexpected story that continued to be written last night.