Demons raise awareness, split with Notre Dame

WASHINGTON — It was a night of both reflection and basketball at Washington High School on Monday night. The Demons split with Notre Dame on their annual Cancer Awareness Night.

Throughout the night, Washington students collected money, which went to the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital. Each player on the court for Washington played for a specific person who was touched by the disease, all of whom were listed on the programs.

“Everybody in this gym has probably been touched by cancer sometime along their lives,” said Demon girls coach Shannon Rugg. “It's a great cause.”

The games themselves were decided early. The Demon boys secured a 61-44 victory, and the girls lost 56-30.

The Washington boys, now ranked No. 3 in Class 3A, took it to the Nikes for most of the night. The Demons led 20-10 after one quarter, 33-16 at halftime and 51-25 after three quarters.

Notre Dame won the fourth, but it was too little too late for the visiting Nikes.

“Overall I thought for three quarters, we really did what we wanted to,” said Washington boys coach Collin Stark.

Washington has now won three-straight games all over the course of five days. Stark says he was proud of his team’s worth ethic despite the low rest.

“They're always going to work hard. That's why they've gotten to this point, because of how hard they work.”

Washington’s Ethan Patterson and Kasen Bailey dominated the Nike backcourt. Patterson finished with 20 points, and Bailey had 18, as the now third-ranked Demons continued to show why they’ve gotten so much attention from the pollsters.

“We definitely get somebody's best every single night,” Bailey said. “That's what happens when you're one of the top teams in the state, so we're just trying to live up to it and play our best.”

Lance Sobaski scored 10 points on the night. Lucas Kroll scored six. Travis Leyden had three, and both Ajay Six and Aden Six had two.

The Washington girls were shut out in the first quarter, trailing 22-0 after one period. The Demons played much better in the final three periods, but the damage had been done.

“We've just got to be more comfortable when the game starts, and figure things out right away,” Rugg said.

The Demon girls were led by a 12-point outing from Kaylin Long. Alex Murphy scored six points on the night, and Elyse Hunt had four.

The Washington boys are now 10-1 overall and still 4-1 in the Southeast Conference. The Demon girls moved to 1-9 overall and stayed at 1-4 in conference play.