Demons go coast-to-coast

MT. PLEASANT - The Washington boys were finally able to play a Southeast Conference game on Friday night, and the Demons have yet to face their first SEC deficit.

Washington jumped out to an early lead on Mt. Pleasant, and despite a few runs at the lead, the Panthers were never on top. Washington got away with a 58-50 victory.

The Demons ran out to a 12-4 lead in the first quarter and clung to a single-digit advantage for much of the night. Washington led 12-6 after eight minutes of play, and 25-18 at halftime, thanks in part to a nine-point first half from Kasen Bailey.

The Panthers never went away. Mt. Pleasant battled back to cut the Demons' lead to five in the third quarter. Washington's advantage was just two possessions after the third, at 38-32.

A 10-point second half by Dewon Trent helped Mt. Pleasant hang around all night. The Panthers had the Demon lead down to four points, at 48-44, with three minutes left, but Washington hung on to the bitter end.

'With this rivalry, you know it's going to come down to the wire,” said Demon head coach Collin Stark. 'We definitely made it hard on ourselves with the free throws and the bunnies we missed, but in the end of the day, a win is a win.”

Bailey was only 3-for-14 form the field, but scored 15 points to lead the Demons, helped out by eight free throws. He also led Washington with four assists.

'It's always great to beat the Panthers,” Bailey said. 'It's one of the games we circle on our calendar every year.”

Bailey was one of four Demons to finish the night in double digits. Trashaun Willis had 10 points and four blocks, and both Lucas Kroll and Ethan Patterson added 10 each. Lance Sobaski had nine points and nine rebounds, and Travis Leyden scored four.

Trent put up 18 points to lead the Panthers. Owen Vansickel had 11, and Jack Johnson finished with 10 points and five assists.

Brevin Wilson scored five point and pulled down seven rebounds. Chase Williamson scored four points, and Dylon Hagans had four.

'Before the game, we just talked about composure, not being too high or too low,” said Mt. Pleasant head coach Eric Rawson. 'It just seemed like our composure wasn't where we wanted it to be at the start.”

After a win in Fairfield on Saturday, Washington is now 4-1 overall and 2-0 in the conference. They will host Fort Madison on Tuesday night. Mt. Pleasant (3-4, 1-2) will travel to play Burlington.