Panther girls pour it on

MT. PLEASANT — An up and down season for the Mt. Pleasant girls basketball team seems to be squarely on the upswing, as the Panthers earned their fifth win in six tries on Monday night.

The Panthers scored a season high in points in a non-conference clash against Danville, putting the paws on the Bears to the tune of a 65-30 victory.

Mt. Pleasant’s full-court press bothered the Bears early and often, leading to a 24-point first quarter. The Panthers led the game 24-13 after one quarter and 43-20 at halftime.

“We just came out in the press and we did a really good job getting deflections,” said Mt. Pleasant head coach Curt Watson. “It seems like the last couple of games we've been getting more active.”

The Panthers continued to roll in the second half. Mt. Pleasant won every quarter of the game.

Mt. Pleasant’s Top-2 scorers came to play in a big way. Andrea Lopreato and Tristian Shull combined for 44 points in the win, a big night for the pair of seniors.

“It's always been fun playing with her, since fourth grade,” said Lopreato. “It makes the game exciting.”

Lopreato filled the stat sheet once again, going for 25 points, 15 rebounds, nine steals, six assists and three blocks. Shull went for 19 points, seven rebounds and six assists.

“We definitely trust each other,” Shull said. “We've been playing with each other forever.”

Kate Schimmelpfennig scored five points in the win. Andi Scott finished with four. Hailey Parrott and Juliana Burns scored three each. Mackenzie Musselman, Abby Carthey and Alex Scott all had two.

Mt. Pleasant is now 8-7 on the season. The Panthers will put their 4-2 Southeast Conference mark on the line on Friday night when they host Washington (6-6, 3-3).