A pair of close clashes on Eagle Lane went separate ways as the second half of the Little Hawkeye Conference rotation started with Pella Christian and Norwalk splitting a varsity basketball doubleheader heard on 92.1 KRLS Friday.
Norwalk finished the season sweep of the Eagles girls 41-34, while the Eagles boys mounted a massive second half charge to come back and knock off the Warriors 55-51.
The nightcap was a tale of two halves Norwalk was in control after the home team Eagles jumped to an 8-2 lead through the first few minutes. Balance was evident in the Warriors lineup, as seven different players scored the 34 first-half points for the defending conference champions. However, Pella Christian started the 3rd quarter on an 11-0 run over the first 3:22 in the period, and held Norwalk to five points to close the quarter with a two point lead. Norwalk Head Coach Chris Larson says a series of bad events in that third quarter ultimately cost them the game.
Down their top player, the Pella Christian boys basketball team battled through additional injuries to pick up a 72-54 road win on the road at West Marshall Monday night.
The Eagles opened with a 24-10 first quarter on a night where Eric Mulder rested an ankle he hurt against Pella last week, and the P.C. lead at one point was up to 24 after three. But 2nd half injuries to Niko Schirz and Levi Schelhaas had the shorthanded road team fighting to stay ahead over the final eight minutes. Both players are expected to be ready this Friday, according to the Pella Christian coaching staff.
The Pella Christian basketball teams kept it close in a varsity doubleheader with Des Moines Christian Saturday, but were unable to upset the ranked Lions, with the Eagles girls falling 54-39 and the boys 44-41, as heard live on 92.1 KRLS.
It was a second half comeback that fell short for Pella Christian’s boys, as they trailed at one point 34-22 just outside of the halftime break, and had three opportunities to tie or take a lead against the No. 1 on BCMoore Lions, but missed those and ultimately fell.
Eric Mulder and Niko Schirz each tallied 14 points in the effort to lead the Eagles.
While the Pella Christian boys basketball team is still searching for more consistency, they do so with a strong base despite their varsity inexperience coming into this season.
Leading the way is Eric Mulder, who didn’t join the varsity rotation until late last winter, and he’s averaging 12.3 points and eight rebounds per game. Levi Schelhaas was the most veteran Eagles player coming in, and he’s at 10.7 points and 3.3 assists per contest at the point guard position. Jadeon Huisman has been on fire from long range, hitting 60 percent of his threes on 25 tries in six games, while Niko Schirz has been strong since adopting a role in the starting lineup, as he’s up to seven points and 4.8 boards per contest.
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