Eagles give Norwalk a real test before fading in the 4th

By Perry Bell

Pella Christian played a masterful game for three quarters against No. 1 ranked Norwalk Saturday at home.

The Eagles actually led the Warriors 36-35 entering the final eight minute session.

The Warriors had just lost the night before to Pella High and they needed to win to guarantee a tie for the top spot in the Little Hawkeye Conference.

The Warriors got the win they so desperately needed to tie for the top spot (along with Pella) in the LHC.

Norwalk pulled away in the final quarter to beat the Eagles 54-43.

“We played a solid defensive game and rebound well,” stated PC Coach Larry Hessing. “For some reason, we just didn’t get it done in the fourth quarter.”

Norwalk’s big guy, Jake Logan, led all players in the game with 19 points. He had plenty of help as guard Jared Stogdill tossed in 15.

Stogdill had 10 of his points in the last half when the Warriors needed it most. Chris Onstot added nine points for Norwalk.

The Eagles had two players in double digits, led by Jon Holwerda with 14. The PC sharpshooter hid four three-point goals, three of them came in the last half.

Chase Carlson added 11 points for the Eagles.

Rounding out the scoring for PC were Kyle Nikkel with eight points, Curtis Rozenboom six and James Blom with four.

The Warriors sealed the win at the foul line, hitting 16-of-25 free throw attempts compared to just 3-of-7 at the line for the Eagles.

Nikkel and Carlson led PC on the boards with seven rebounds each while Carlson topped the Eagle charts in steals with five.

Norwalk improved to 18-1 overall and 13-1 in the LHC with the victory.

The Eagles fell to 10-4 in the league and 14-6 overall.

Odds and Ends

The Warriors had a 13 rebound edge on the boards which proved to be pivotal in the showdown.

Logan, the Warriors’ 6’8” junior center, was credited with 14 rebounds in the contest.

Carlson, Blom and Branderhorst each had two assists for PC.

The only league losses for PC were at the expense of Norwalk and Pella High, twice each. Both teams are ranked among the top 10 teams in the state in Class 3A.

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