by Tyler Foster

On Dec. 9, the PCM Mustangs girls’ and boys’ team lost to rival Pella Christian at home. The girls managed to keep things tight but fell by a final score of 52-40. Meanwhile, the boys were coming off of three nail-bitting wins and looking for a fourth, but PCM ultimately fell 72-51.
The girls struggled out of the gate against the Eagles, losing the first quarter 19-5 in favor of PC. A strong second quarter pulled the Mustangs within striking distance, but ultimately, the hole was too big for the girls to dig themselves out of.
Junior Katie Vande Wall led the Mustangs with 16 points and 15 rebounds, and was often at the foul line. Vande Wall attempted 15 free throws and hit 10. Fellow juniors Jayci Vos and Kayla Jennings followed with eight and six points, respectively.
The boys fell short of a win, however, found areas to improve on. To start the game, the Eagles came out red hot connecting on multiple big shots. Still, the Mustangs battled back to tie the game up at 13 with four seconds left in the first quarter. The Eagles drove down in four seconds; senior Mitch Fopma launched up for three and not only sunk it but was fouled and given the opportunity for the four-point play, giving PC a lot of momentum going into the second up 17-13.
The second quarter was a different story. Eerything for the Eagles was seeming to fall, and the Mustangs couldn’t get much going, giving the advantage and allowing PC to created an 18-point halftime lead of 41-23, after outscoring the Mustangs 24-10 in the second.
The rest of the game was back and forth with the Mustangs giving push, but the Eagles didn’t break, sealing the non-conference win of 72-51.
Leading scorers for the boys were senior Logan Gilman and junior Luke Greiner, who scored 19 and 15, respectively. It is also worth noting that the Mustangs hammered the Eagles on the boards and came up with 16 offensive rebounds.
Next up for the Mustangs is a mega night, where boys and girls JV and varsity will be in action at Saydel, against the Eagles. The girls tip-off at 6 p.m. and the boys following.