Demon boys withstand late Sigourney charge

A fast start didn?t give Washington boys? basketball team all the cushion it would have liked on Monday night.

The Demons appeared to be set to cruise in the second half, holding a 19-point lead, but the visitors weren?t going to let them off too easy.

After Washington extended its lead to 22 points, Sigourney rallied off a 25-4 run to close the gap to one point, and a Demon timeout needed to calm things down.

?We needed to slow it down and take a breath,? Washington senior Derek Anding said. ?We had to regroup and remember what we are doing.?

A Washington bucket, followed by four of Anding?s team-high 29 points, didn?t allow Sigourney to complete the unlikely comeback, and pushed the Demons to their second win in four days with a 75-66 victory.

?We got in a hurry on offense,? Washington head coach Bryce Smeins said. ?We didn?t get many looks and didn?t have good shots. When the flow is going, it?s hard to slow things down. We like to run and press. We worked hard tonight. We?ll get better throughout the season.?

The win improves Washington to 2-2 on the season.

In his first varsity start of his basketball career, sophomore Dalton Myers shined, putting in a career-high 24 points, which included two 3-pointers.

Myers is averaging 13.8 points per game so far this season, and feels he is learning his role on the team.

?It?s been great having to step up,? Myers said. ?It?s exciting to show up and do what I can do. I need to score when I can (in my role), and distribute the ball to get other people some points. I need to be a playmaker.?

The Demons used his playmaking skills early, as Myers notched eight first-quarter points to help the Demons out to a 26-10 lead.

Anding pitched in 21 of his 29 points in the first half, as the Demons appeared to be primed for an easy victory with a 46-27 lead at halftime.

Sigourney had its own plans with senior Blaine Gretter going on a charge as he helped the Savages on a 25-4 run that extended into the fourth quarter.

Gretter finished with 31 points and 11 rebounds in the contest, but it wasn?t enough, as the Demons got back on track after a timeout with 3:41 to play.

Demon senior Dakota Suchan helped Washington begin to pull away, followed by baskets by John Dillon and four straight points from Anding to help close the game.

?A lot of our guys played well,? Smeins said. ?I was happy with Bryce Sinn again and John Dillon back in the post. Cale Hobscheidt got some good minutes and Dalton (Myers) ran the point for us with Jack [Redlinger] gone. I?m happy with the entire bunch tonight.?

The Demons will complete the most brutal part of their season on Tuesday, when they play their fourth game in five days. While the legs are undoubtedly tired for Washington, Smeins said he is happy with the play of his team through this stretch.

?We are 2-1, so we are happy about that,? Smeins said. ?The one loss was to 4A Ottumwa, and tomorrow we have a good Osky team, who acts like a 4A in how they do things. We need to come with energy tomorrow night.?

The Demons will take on Oskaloosa on the road at 7:30 p.m.