MP boys hang with Xavier

CEDAR RAPIDS - Mt. Pleasant and Cedar Rapids Xavier didn't come into the 2018-19 season as the two Class 3A favorites like they did last season, but the Panthers and Saints still put on a show in their annual season opener.

The new-look Mt. Pleasant boys showed that they could still hang around with the top teams in the area, but couldn't quite pull off the road win. Xavier escaped the opener 49-42.

Mt. Pleasant took an early lead, winning the first quarter 9-8 thanks in part to a big start from junior big man Sam Beatty. Beatty proved to be the best scorer in the first half, scoring 13 points over the first two periods. Xavier had a big second quarter, however, scoring 20 points in the period and taking a 28-17 lead into halftime.

Mt. Pleasant came out in the third quarter and made it a tight game once again. The Panthers won the period 14-8 and it was just a five-point game after three quarters, 36-31 in favor of the Knights.

Xavier put their foots to the gas peddle early in the fourth quarter to stretch the lead back to three possessions. The Panthers eventually ran out of time, losing the fourth quarter 13-11 and falling by seven in new head coach Caleb Akey's debut.

Beatty finished the game with 17 points, going 6-9 from the field and 5-5 from the free throw line. He also had two blocks, which led the squad. Keegan Kohorst was second on the team in scoring, with eight.

Tucker Johnson and Jaxon Hoyle scored six points apiece in the loss. Rhett Zeglen scored three points and Brody Bender ended the night with two. Konnor Peterson was the only other Panther to see the floor.

The Panthers shot 10-30 total in the loss. Mt. Pleasant was red hot from the charity stripe, hitting 19-21, but ice-cold from three-point land going 1-12. The defense came away with three steals, one each from Johnson, Kohorst and Hoyle.

Mt. Pleasant will now turn their attention toward a huge conference opener at Fairfield on Friday, Nov. 30. The Trojans have been tabbed the team to beat in the SEC this season, making Friday's game a big one for the Panthers, who hope to make it four conference championships in a row.