MP boys torch Burlington, Central Lee

MT. PLEASANT - The Mt. Pleasant boys were flaming hot this weekend, picking up two home wins. The Panthers rolled Burlington 72-45 in a Southeast Conference game on Friday night and then made it two-in-a-row with a 55-40 win against Central Lee on Saturday.

The Panthers needed a win on Friday night to stay in the SEC hunt, and they got it in a big way. Mt. Pleasant went an incredible 31-45 from the field and 9-12 from the line in a 27-point win over the Grayhounds.

Mt. Pleasant led 18-14 after the first quarter and 31-24 at halftime. The Panthers burned it up in the second half, outscoring Burlington 41-21 in the final two quarters.

Brevin Wilson and Clayton Lowery gave Burlington fits all night. Wilson led the team with 24 points and six steals, and Lowery scored 22 points nad led the team with seven rebounds.

Jaxon Hoyle finished the night with 11 points to give the Panthers a third double-digit scorer. Keegan Kohorst had seven points and eight assists. Brody Bender had four points, and both Jack Johnson and Konnor Peterson finished with two.

Panther head coach Caleb Akey, who also works in the Burlington school district, said the win was big for the team's standing after closing out 2019 with a loss at Washington.

'It was huge for us,” Akey said. 'That's a big game for me personally, and the kids know that, but most importantly, it was a conference game. We wanted to get back on track in the conference. They were missing a couple of players, and we knew that, but I thought we played absolutely outstanding.”

On Saturday, the Panther rushed out to a double-digit lead and never let the Hawks back in it. Mt. Pleasant led 17-6 after one quarter, 29-18 at halftime and 44-30 after three.

Hoyle led Mt. Pleasant with 14 points and four steals in Saturday's win. Kohorst finished the night with 10 points and six assists.

Clayton Lowery scored nine points in the win. Wilson had seven. Bender scored six. Johnson scored four. Peterson scored three, and both Marcus Campbell and Cooper Pullis finished the night with one.

Mt. Pleasant is now 4-5 overall and 2-2 in the SEC. They'll host Ft. Madison in their third-straight home game on Friday, Jan. 10.