Daily Newsletters
Account
Washington Evening Journal
111 North Marion Avenue
Washington, IA 52353
319-653-2191
Panther girls ousted in Keokuk
Mt. Pleasant can’t pull regional upset in Class 4A opener
Southeast Iowa Union offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced.
KEOKUK — Keokuk High School certainly has not been a fun place to play at for the Mt. Pleasant girls basketball program.
The Panthers were in Keokuk one year after seeing their 2024 season end at the hands of the Chiefs, and once again, Mt. Pleasant just couldn’t get the offense going, falling 63-20 in the Class 4A, Region 4 opener.
Mt. Pleasant was rattled by Keokuk’s pressure defense early, allowing the Chiefs to immediately jump out into a three-possession lead. In the blink of an eye, the Panthers found themselves down 14-3.
“They start fast,” said Mt. Pleasant head coach Curt Watson. “I thought after we got down, we settled down a lot better. We just tried to rush our offense a little bit, and that's not good when you play Keokuk.”
The Chiefs held a commanding 36-7 lead at halftime, and although the final two quarters were much more competitive, the damage had already been done.
Mt. Pleasant’s Paityn Ensminger had six points and nine rebounds to lead her team in defeat. Alexa Fuller scored five points. Kynlee White had four. Abigail Shelangoski scored three, and Abby Carthey chipped in two.
The Panthers finished the year 3-19, and will lose the services of two seniors; Fuller and Charice Auwerda. Keokuk fell in the semifinals on Saturday, leaving no more Southeast Conference team in the 4A tournament.
