Demon girls fall on the road

The Washington girls? basketball team was down a couple of players on Monday night, and it could be felt defensively for the Demons.

The Demons traveled to face Central Lee, Donnellson in a non-conference clash, but fell 65-55 to the Lady Hawks, dropping the Demons to a 4-11 season record.

?We went down there and Morgan Kimball was sick, so she didn?t get to play,? Washington head coach Jay Zieglowsky said. ?Macy Marek is coming back from a week in Colorado, and didn?t play last night and Addie Pacha got into foul trouble, so there?s three quality players we didn?t have.?

The Demons gave up 34 points in the paint to Central Lee (12-6 on the season, 10-3 in the SEISC South), but with foul trouble, it was hard for Washington to compensate.

On the offensive end, Washington was led by freshman Sarah Nacos, who scored a team-high 16 points, and Dylann Schluetter, who put in 12 points.

?We played a lot of girls last night and created a lot of competition,? Zieglowsky said. ?I?ve challenged these girls to give 110 percent effort, and we have some competition. Some girls stepped up last night, and some girls that had been playing stepped up even more. They make some young mistakes, but experience is valuable for them. Each player is going to be better with competition.?

The Demons will have a conference matchup at Fort Madison on Tuesday night, and the key will be limiting their empty offensive possesions, according to Zieglowsky.

?We have to minimize our turnovers,? Zieglowsky said. ?Last night they didn?t press us, and we still had 20 turnovers. Tonight I expect them to press us and we have to handle the basketball. If we can play our typically good defense and keep the offense going like it was last night, we?ll have a ballgame.?

Tip is set for 6 p.m. for the boys-girls doubleheader.