Demons cruise past Burlington

Over the course of the season, the Washington girls? basketball team has done some of its best work in the second half of its games.

With the second half of the season getting under way, they hope the strong second half becomes a part of this season?s story.

On Saturday, they started to put that on display, as one of their highest-scoring first-halves of the season helped propel them to a 65-44 victory over Burlington.

?This game was the first game where we weren?t a second-half team,? Washington senior Addie Pacha said. ?We got at them right from the get-go, and we really pushed ourselves. I feel good about it if it?s an omen of the coming season.?

Pacha and fellow senior Brynna DeLong each led the team with 17 points apiece, while DeLong finished with a team-high seven rebounds in the contest.

Pacha did much of her damage from the inside, scoring 14 points in the paint.

The win moves Washington to 3-5 on the season, and figures to give the Demons confidence heading into a conference match-up against Fort Madison on Tuesday.

?This whole game is a confidence builder,? Washington head coach Jordan Bentley said. ?When you look at Fairfield and Keokuk, they play a lot of the same kind of basketball. They might be a little slap-happy, and we took care of the ball for the most part. We proved a lot of things to ourselves in what we can handle.?

Washington started out the game strong defensively, limiting Burlington to only five first-quarter points, while taking a 13-5 lead.

DeLong missed her first two 3-point attempts in the first quarter, but erupted with a pair of triples in the second quarter to help Washington add to its lead, taking a 32-16 lead into halftime.

?From past coaches, I?ve just been told that you will miss 100 percent of the shots you don?t take,? DeLong said. ?I didn?t lose my confidence. I thought I should have made them, but I kept shooting and started finding my rhythm.?

In the second half, Washington kept its foot on the pedal, using a 9-2 run to secure the lead and cruise to the victory.

Demon sophomore Sarah Nacos also reached double figures in the game, posting 11 points, four rebounds and four steals, while Amber Salow had six points and four assists in the contest.

?We came out fast in the start,? Bentley said. ?We focused, as coaches and as a team, that we need to start the game and then we post 13 and 19 points in the first half. Then we always know we play well in the third quarter, so it was nice to start the game that way.?

As the Demons look ahead to Tuesday?s home contest against Fort Madison, Bentley said the team is looking for DeLong and Pacha to keep opening things up for the rest of the team.

?I want to see a similar performance,? Bentley said. ?Addie Pacha and Brynna DeLong are mismatches for most teams. DeLong shoots the ball well from the outside and is quick with her first step, and she?s so long. Pacha is getting to that point in the season where she is realizing the offense and how she fits into it. That will open up the outside shooting for everyone else.?

The contest against Fort Madison will be a girls?-boys? doubleheader with the girls? game tipping off at 6:15 p.m.