The road to the Well hits its final destination Monday in the Class 3A Substate finals as the No. 2 Pella Dutch aim to make back-to-back trips to the boys state tournament against conference foe Grinnell.
Pella is rolling into the round of 16 in the Class 3A playoffs after defending their home court with ease; knocking off Centerville 100-45 and Newton 73-44 in the first two rounds, while Grinnell enters the matchup as road warriors, knocking off No. 3 seeded Clear Creek-Amana 69-58 and winning in the last second against Washington 49-48.
The teams have met twice this winter, with Pella sweeping the conference games against the Tigers 54-39 and 76-46, but the key difference will be the return of Owen Coffman, who has dealt with a variety of injuries this winter. Coffman hit the game winning free throws against the Demons on Thursday, and Head Coach Derek Schulte says they expect a different style for Grinnell with him back on the floor.
In Coach Derek Schulte’s tenure as head coach of the Pella High boys basketball team, they’ve made it one step further on the tournament trail each season. From the district finals in 2018 to substrate in 2019, and the state tournament last season.
The second-ranked Little Dutch open the 2021 playoffs Monday night with their eyes set on a return trip to Wells Fargo Arena and a shot at a state title. Schulte is counting on the veteran leadership of his upperclassmen to lead the way.
“These seniors have been through battles and so they have that tournament experience and hopefully that will be valuable for us. For our new guys coming in, tournament games do have a different feel. Sometimes they can have a more intense piece because there’s no game or practice the next day if you don’t get it done. However, hopefully our preparation with situational basketball in practices and just playing to our strengths, when moments get tight you really have to rely on what
Pella’s boys basketball team has won the Little Hawkeye Conference championship outright after a 79-59 victory over cross-town rival Pella Christian last night as part of a doubleheader heard live on 92.1 KRLS. Earlier in the night, the Lady Dutch knocked off the Eagle girls 44-40.
In the nightcap, Pella led just 41-39 midway through the fourth quarter, but outscored the Eagles 38-20 the rest of the way, making five three pointers in the third quarter to pull away.
The Little Dutch made five more three-pointers in the fourth quarter to squelch even a threat of a Pella Christian comeback. The win wraps up a 13-1 conference season for coach Derek Schulte’s squad.
A pair of ranked basketball teams come to Pella High School for non-conference competition this evening.
The No. 2 in 3A Des Moines Christian girls and No. 7 in Class 2A Lions’ boys will take on the 6-6 Lady Dutch and No. 1 in 3A Pella boys for a varsity doubleheader.
In the opener, the Pella girls are still searching for a signature win over a ranked opponent after missing several chances to do so earlier in the season, but they did snap a three-game skid with a dominating win over PCM Saturday.
The nightcap will be another test as the guard-heavy Lions come to face a Pella team standing at 10-0 overall. Head Coach Derek Schulte knows they have to keep playing well, and he’s excited to face off against a program with great history and their eyes set on a 2A-run at Wells Fargo Arena.