Boys basketball roundup: WACO takes 2, Mid-Prairie stays perfect

A wild weekend in area boys basketball saw WACO scoop up a pair of huge wins, including one over previously unbeaten New London. Mid-Prairie stayed undefeated with a marquee win over Camanche.

Mt. Pleasant 49, Central Lee 35

One night after a close loss to Washington, the Panthers got it done in a nonconference clash with Central Lee.

The win snapped a two-game losing streak for the Panthers, who are now 5-9 on the season.

No. 6 (2A) Mid-Prairie 51, No. 8 (2A) Camanche 46

It was a slugfest in Wellman as Mid-Prairie won a matchup of ranked Class 2A teams, knocking off Camanche by five points.

Mid-Prairie knocked down nine 3-pointers in the win. Carter Harmsen scored 19 points and pulled down 12 rebounds, and Jackson Pennington added 12 points of his own.

WACO 49, Cardinal 45

The Warriors rallied from down 39-33 entering the fourth quarter to knock off Cardinal in a Southeast Iowa Super Conference South Division showdown.

Simeon Reichenbach scored 12 points for WACO in the win. Hunter Hughes put in 11. Cardinal’s Griffin Greiner ended the night with 14.

WACO 67, No. 7 (1A) New London 48

One night after a comeback win at Cardinal, WACO put together another huge closeout quarter to upset No. 7 New London 67-48 on the Tigers’ own home floor.

WACO led by just five points, at 51-46 entering the last eight minutes. The Warriors dominated the fourth quarter 16-2 to score a major South Division win.

Colton Leichty scored 23 points to lead WACO. Reichenbach had 19 points and nine rebounds. Reece Oswald scored 10. Hunter Hughes had nine points and 10 rebounds, and Cody Graber finished with four points, eight rebounds and six blocks.

New London was playing without star forward Kade Benjamin. Blaise Porter scored 19 points, and Devin Swanson put up 12.

Danville now leads the South Division with a 10-1 conference record. New London is second, at 8-1, and WACO is third, at 8-3.

New London 88, Van Buren County 41

One night before the loss to WACO, New London blasted Van Buren County 88-41.

Blaise Porter scored 22 points to lead the Tigers. Bowen Glaha had 17 points, and Devin Swanson scored 13.

Sigourney 50, Keota 40

A rocky start to the game doomed Keota, as the Eagles lost by 10 points to their friendly neighbors, only the second loss to Sigourney in 14 games.

Sigourney led 11-8 after one quarter, 28-15 at halftime and 41-35 after three periods.

Despite the loss, it was a huge night for Evan Vittetoe, who scored 15 points and pulled down 17 rebounds.

Winfield-Mount Union 63, Prince of Peace 29 (Saturday)

It was all Winfield-Mount Union in a nonconference clash with Prince of Peace. The Wolves dominated from the tip, winning the first quarter 17-2 and never holding up.

Ebram Edwards finished the night with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Jake Edwards hit five 3-pointers to finish with 15 points, and Cam Buffington had 14.

Hillcrest Academy 62, Columbus 35

The Ravens rolled from the tip, leading 24-2 after one quarter and 39-10 at halftime in a dominant SEISC North Division win.

Grant Benter continued to impress, scoring 20 points for the Ravens. Luke Schrock had 10. Columbus was co-led in scoring by Timothy Hill and Daniel Martinez, who each had nine.

Hillcrest Academy 53, Marquette Catholic 50 (Saturday)

Hillcrest Academy netted a nonconference win over Marquette Catholic despite trailing 15-8 after the first quarter. The Ravens chipped back into it throughout the night, and eventually secured a three-point win.

Pekin 45, Louisa-Muscatine 34

The Panthers used a 21-point third quarter to race past Louisa-Muscatine in SEISC North play.

Pekin led by just two points at halftime, holding a 19-17 advantage. The Panthers dropped 21 points in the third quarter to pull away.

Wapello 53, Highland 41

Highland couldn’t win a quarter in a SEISC North trip to Wapello.

The Arrows led the game 10-5 after one period, 25-17 at halftime and 37-25. The two teams split the fourth quarter 16-16.