Panther girls hold off Demons

MT. PLEASANT — The Mt. Pleasant girls basketball team polished off the season sweep of rival Washington on Friday night, and although the Demons made it interesting in the second half, the Panthers are still in the thick of the Southeast Conference race.

A strong first half and some solid fourth-quarter defense helped the Panthers move past the Demons 44-35, a nine-point win after Mt. Pleasant won the last matchup by seven.

Mt. Pleasant’s offense was on display in the first half. The Panthers led 18-10 after one quarter and 34-19 at the half.

Washington had a big run in them. The Demons cut the lead down to 36-29 after three quarters, and Mt. Pleasant’s advantage was as little as four midway through the fourth.

Mt. Pleasant had a 39-35 lead with five minuets left, but the Panthers scored the last five points and shut the Demons out in the final minutes.

Andrea Lopreato went for 20 points and 17 rebounds to lead Mt. Pleasant. Tristan Shull finished the night with 16 points and eight steals. Andi Scott had four points. Kate Schimmelpfennig and Hailey Parrott each finished with two.

Leighton Messinger scored 11 points and yanked down 12 rebounds for the Demons. Alex Murphy finished with eight points and nine rebounds. Adalyn Long had six points and three steals. Taylor Miksch scored six points, and both Makenna Conrad and Kaylin Long finished with two.

Mt. Pleasant is now 5-2 overall and 9-7 in Southeast Conference play. They will travel to Mid-Prairie on Monday. Washington (6-8, 3-5) goes to Ottumwa.