No. 8 Panthers keep winning

MT. PLEASANT — Mt. Pleasant boys basketball might be one of the hottest teams in Class 3A right now, if not the state.

The Southeast Conference Champions came into their Monday night matchup against Ottumwa off 11 straight wins and after all was said and done against the Bulldogs the streak improved to 12.

Mt. Pleasant had no issues as they rushed to a 67-35 victory.

Ottumwa had no answer early on either side of the ball as Mt. Pleasant found its groove on both sides of the floor.

The Panthers scored a game-high 18 points in the first quarter, while giving up just eight. In the second, Mt. Pleasant followed with 16 points to Ottumwa’s six, pushing the Panthers’ lead to 34-14 at the break.

In the second half, the Panthers kept up with the narrative.

Mt. Pleasant outscored Ottumwa 17-10 in the third quarter to make it 51-24 heading into the final quarter of the night.

To seal it in the fourth, the Panthers topped the Bulldogs 16-11.

Payton Hagans led Mt. Pleasant with 24 points on the night. Owen Vansickel finished with 14 points, while Aaiden Ashton scored 13 and Nate Stroud 12.

The Panthers, now 17-3, will head to Fairfield on Friday to take on the Trojans at 7:30 p.m.