Panther boys go 1-1 over weekend games

KEOKUK - The Mt. Pleasant boys had an up-and-down weekend, playing back-to-back road games on Friday and Saturday. On Friday night, the Panthers picked up their first Southeast Conference win, 56-48 over Keokuk. They led in the second half of their non-conference game at Cedar Rapids Washington on Saturday, but eventually fell 59-41.

The Panthers started out red hot on Friday night. Mt. Pleasant led 21-11 in the first quarter and 32-20 at halftime. Keokuk didn't go down without a fight, cutting the lead to 39-32 after the third quarter, but the Panthers hung on late for an eight-point win.

The Panthers had four double-digit scorers in the win. Keegan Kohorst led the way for Mt. Pleasant with 14 points. Rhett Zeglen scored 13. Sam Beatty finished with 12, and Tucker Johnson had 10 points and two steals.

Brody Bender filled the stat sheet with seven pionts, nine rebounds and there assists in the win. All 56 points were scored by the starting five.

Mt. Pleasant looked good early against C.R. Washington on Saturday. The Panthers led 12-9 after one quarter and 27-23 at halftime.

In the second half, the Panthers faltered. C.R. Washington took a 41-36 lead after the third quarter and ran away with the game in the fourth.

Beatty scored 14 to lead the Panthers on Saturday. Johnson had nine points and two assists, and Kohorst scored eight. Zeglen finished the day with seven points. Clayton Lowery finished with two, and Bender had one point and six rebounds.

The weekend gave the Panthers a boost from the outside after they struggled early in the season. Mt. Pleasant came into the weekend shooting 6-56 from three-point land, but they went 7-21 in their two games.

The Panthers are now 2-4 overall and 1-1 in the SEC. They'll have a long break until their next game at Ottumwa on Monday, Dec. 17.