Demon boys earn weekend split

A conference win highlighted the first set of back-to-back games for the Washington boys? basketball team this season.

Earning the notch against conference foe Fairfield, 63-52, on Friday night was good, but the Demons weren?t able to carry the momentum over to Saturday night, when they fell 59-38 to Ottumwa.

The difference in the two nights? Washington head coach Bryce Smeins noted that the intensity seemed different.

?It?s pretty clear,? Smeins said. ?On Friday night we came out of the locker room ready to play for a conference game. We weren?t as focused (on Saturday night). We have a few more back-to-backs, so we have to figure out a plan so it doesn?t happen again.?

The weekend split puts Washington at 1-2 (1-0 in conference play) in the young season.

In the victory over Fairfield, the Demons had three athletes finish in double-digit scoring, with sophomore Dalton Myers coming off the bench to score a team-high 16 points.

Senior Derek Anding had 13 in the contest, while junior Bryce Sinn finished with 11 points and team highs with 14 rebounds and three assists.

The Demons used a strong second quarter to pull away from the Trojans, taking a 32-26 lead going into the break.

Washington?s defense came strong out of the gates in the third quarter, holding the Trojans to seven points, while taking an 11-point lead, before withstanding the Trojans for the victory.

Against Ottumwa, the Demons were only able to shoot 19 percent from the field, led by Jack Redlinger?s 11 points.

?Jack always plays hard,? Smeins said. ?He?s on the edge all the time and sometimes is out of control, but in a good way.?

Myers and Anding each had six points in the contest with Sinn and John Dillon tying for the team lead with five rebounds.

The Demons fell behind early in the game, only managing five points in the first quarter, while Ottumwa jumped out to a 17-point lead.

The Demons were able to match the Bulldogs the rest of the way, but couldn?t climb back into the game, and fell to Ottumwa.

?Ottumwa came out with a little more edge than we did,? Smeins said. ?Our body language wasn?t good from the start. We didn?t rebound very well and we weren?t very patient on offense. We need to work on that. Our intensity was less than (Friday night).?

Washington is currently in the middle of a stretch where they play four games in five days.

The third game of that span will be on Monday night when the Demons host Sigourney at 7:45 p.m., after the varsity girls? game.