Demons clip ranked Hawks

After spending the season as a second-half team, the Washington girls? basketball team showed what they could do in the first half on Tuesday night.

Hosting Class 3A, No. 14 ranked Central Lee, the Demons couldn?t have asked for a better start, jumping out to a 20-0 lead over the Hawks. A late rally by Central Lee wasn?t enough, as Washington picked up the win, 57-55.

?We were a first-half team instead of a second-half team,? Washington senior Addie Pacha said. ?That was good. We went at them right out of the gate. Our defense in the first half was really good.?

The win improves Washington to 7-8 on the season, eclipsing their win total from a season ago, when the team went 6-16.

While the Demons have been a second-half team, they have had a surge from new starter McKayla Miller, who appears primed for a strong second half of the season after recording team highs of 12 points and seven rebounds on Tuesday night.

Through the first 11 games of the year, the Demon averaged 1.5 points per game, but ever since taking a starting role, she has averaged 14 points per game.

?It?s been fun,? Miller said. ?I?m picking up where we left off and am trying to do the best I can. I need to box out, and helping out on defense. I have to make my shots when I have open ones.?

Miller was one of four Demons who reached double-digit scoring on Tuesday night, with Pacha and Amber Salow each notching 11 points, and Brynna DeLong putting in 10 points.

After the Demons opened up a 20-0 lead, they held a 20-point lead throughout the entire first half, leading 30-11 at the halftime break.

?We wanted to get the ball inside because we thought we had more size,? Washington head coach Jordan Bentley said. ?We had a little better presence inside. When we got the ball there, (Central Lee) would collapse and our shooters had all day to line up their shots. In the second half we went away from that a little bit.?

In the second half, Central Lee got its offense going, utilizing a 21-point third quarter to make it a 12-point game.

Miller fouled out with three minutes remaining in the game, but always believed in her team to close the win.

?I had a lot of confidence in them,? Miller said. ?They were out there playing their hearts out and they did well.?

The Hawks drew as close as four points, but a pair of Sarah Nacos free throws helped put the Demons back up by six. Central Lee responded by hitting a 3-pointer to make it 57-53, but they couldn?t bring the game any closer, allowing the Demons to claim the win.

?The biggest thing was to relax and know that they had to foul us,? Bentley said. ?They hit some 3-pointers late in the game, but we weren?t playing to take away the drive. We gave them lanes to drive and they took advantage. We let them get back into the game by not sticking to our guns.?

The win over a ranked opponent could mean big things for the Demons, as they look to even their record, taking on Class 4A, No. 4 ranked Keokuk on Friday night.

?It?s a big win for us,? Bentley said. ?The way we started off shows that we know we can score when we know what our advantages are. Even against Keokuk, we can get the ball inside to Pacha and Miller and we can get them into foul trouble.?

Keokuk defeated Washington 48-31 at home earlier this season. The game at Keokuk will tip off at 6 p.m.