Panther boys pop Ottumwa

OTTUMWA - The Mt. Pleasant boys basketball team went into Ottumwa looking for a win on Tuesday night, and they got it. The Panthers picked up a 58-47 nonconference win over the Bulldogs for their second win in three games.

It took a while for Mt. Pleasant to get rolling. Ottumwa seized the lead early and held a 15-8 advantage after the first quarter. The Panthers, however, would score 16 or more points in the final three quarters.

A 17-6 run in the second quarter helped Mt. Pleasant jump on Top 25-21 before halftime.

The Bulldogs took the lead back momentarily in the third quarter, but Brevin Wilson hit a go-ahead layup to put the Panthers back up 30-29, and Ottumwa never led again.

Sophomore Owen Vansickel had his biggest game of the year. After scoring just 14 points combined in Mt. Pleasant's first three games, Vansickel put up 15 points on Tuesday night to lead the Panthers to victory.

Mt. Pleasant had four players hit double digits in scoring. Along with Vansickle, Brevin Wilson put up 14 points, Jack Johnson scored 11, and Sam Jerrell finished with 10.

Mt. Pleasant is now 2-2 on the season. The Panthers will put their 1-0 Southeast Conference record on the line on Friday night when Mt. Pleasant visits Keokuk.