Mt. Pleasant, Fairfield 2 wins away

It’s one win down and two to go for the Mt. Pleasant and Fairfield boys basketball teams. The Panthers and Trojans will both be in action on Thursday night at 7 p.m., as the Class 3A Substate 6 semifinals get underway.

The second-seeded Panthers had quite the battle with Fort Madison in the opening round. Mt. Pleasant had to hang on by a thread to beat the Bloodhounds 40-38. Meanwhile, Fairfield was taking down Washington, 57-51, on the Demons’ home floor.

Mt. Pleasant will stay home on Thursday night as Solon comes into town. The Spartans come in at 17-5 overall this season, and the Panthers are just one half game better, at 18-5.

Solon had its hands full with Keokuk in the No. 3 vs. No. 6 seed battle at Solon in Monday’s quarterfinals. The Spartans are led by junior Jake Benzing, who scores 18 points per game and also pulls down 5.9 rebounds per game. Benzing went for 18 and seven against the Chiefs.

The Spartans had five players who score over 7.5 points per contest. Junior Gehrig Turner sits at 9.9 points per game. Vince Steinbrech scores 9.3 points per game. Sean Stahle scores 7.9 points per game, and Rylen Stiegelmeyer scores 7.7 points per game. Stahle is their leading passer, averaging 3.2 assists per game.

For the last two contests, Mt. Pleasant has been without its star, as junior Payton Hagans has been out with a foot injury. He had been Mr. Everything for the Pantehrs this year, scoring 20.7 points per game and also leading the team with 8.2 rebounds per game, 3.5 assists per game and 2.4 steals per game.

If they’re without Hagans again on Thursday, the Panthers will need a big game out of Aaiden Ashton and Owen Vansickel. Ashton comes in scoring 14.3 points per game. Vansickel scores 7.4 points per game, including a 16-point outing in the win over Fort Madison.

Other Panthers scoring five points per game and over include Nate Stroud, who is sitting at 7.3 points per game, and Carter Allen, who sits at an even 5.0.

Fairfield will have its hands full with No. 6 Newton, who dropped Oskaloosa 70-56 in the first round of the tournament.

Newton, the top seed in the bracket, is senior led, much like their opponents on Thursday night. The Cardinals have three seniors who score 10 or more points per game.

Cole Plowman leads the team with 14.6 points per game. He’s been a monster inside all year, pulling down 7.3 rebounds per game and blocking 2.9 shots per game. According to Varsity Bound, he stands at 6’5“ tall.

Plowman scored 20 points in the Cardinals’ first round win, as did Brody Bauer, who puts up 12.8 points per game. jake Ingle scores 10.3 points per game and dishes out 4.2 assists per game. Other seniors to look out for include Tade Vanderlaan (6.2 PPG) and Carson Satterfield (5.1 PPG).

Fairfield’s Max Weaton will need every inch of his 6’6“ frame to take on Plowman down low. He has been on an absolute tear lately, and currently leads the team with 20.4 points per game, including 22 in the quarterfinal win at Washington. The senior big man also averages 13.7 rebounds per game.

JJ Lane, another senior, scores 17.7 points per game for the Trojans. He also leads the team with 3.9 assists per game and 1.5 steals per contest.

Tate Allen rounds out an all-senior big three for the Trojans. He scores 9.5 points per game and dishes out 3.6 assists per contest as well.

Sophomore Riley Perkins is up to 6.2 points per game for the Trojans after scoring nine against Washington. Junior Sam Weaton is just below the five-point mark, at 4.9 points per game.

The winners of Thursday’s clashes will face off on Monday night as the Class 3A Substate 6 championship will take place to determine who will represent the area at the 2023 state tournament in Des Moines.