Panthers girls look to climb SEC standings in 2019

Now is the time to make your move in the conference basketball standings, and that's exactly what the Mt. Pleasant girls hope to do over the next month. The Panther girls come into 2019 tied in third place in the Southeast Conference with a 1-2 record.

The class of the SEC so far is Keokuk, who leads the conference with a 4-0 record. The Chiefs have defeated all four of the other SEC teams, taking out Ft. Madison 51-28, Mt. Pleasant 64-45, Washington 63-39 and Fairfield 60-47.

Central Lee transfer Mackenzie Northup has been stellar in all four of Keokuk's games. She scored 20 against Ft. Madison, 21 at Mt. Pleasant, 15 against Washington and 27 at Fairfield. She has been the leading scorer in three of those games, with Michenna Davis taking that spot with 19 against the Demons.

Fairfield's loss to Keokuk was their first defeat in three SEC games. The Trojans held on to beat Mt. Pleasant 51-47 in their first game and took down Washington 62-58. Fairfield has yet to play an SEC road game.

Kara Jeffrey and Destiny Gridley each had 12 in a defensive struggle against Mt. Pleasant. Shaylin Drish dropped 21 against Washington, and both Drish and Gridley had 12 in the loss to Keokuk.

Mt. Pleasant and Washington, who will meet tonight (Friday) are both 1-2 in the conference. The Panthers picked up a thrilling 55-54 double overtime win at Ft. Madison, but have lost to both the top two teams in the SEC. Washington had it easier against the Bloodhounds, winning 46-23 in Ft. Madison.

Maddie Williamson has led the Panthers in scoring this season, and did so in two of their SEC games. Williamson scored 14 against Fairfield and dropped 27 on Keokuk. She scored 14 at Ft. Madison, but was outdone by Saide Carrasco, who put up 15 to lead the team.

Balance is the name of the game for Washington. In their three SEC games, only one player has hit double digits. Halle Leyden's 11 points against Fairfield is the high score in conference games. Kira Ropp led the Demons with eight points at Keokuk, and Kinsey Duwa scored nine against Ft. Madison.

The Hounds have been led by Anna Kester in two of their three SEC losses. Kester scored 12 at Keokuk and 16 in the double overtime loss to Mt. Pleasant. Nadia Boeding led the squad with six points against Washington.

Nobody can top Northup of Keokuk on the SEC scoring list. Northup sscores 17.3 points per game overall this season, one of four players in the conference to average double digits. Drish of Fairfield scores 13.2 points per game. Keokuk's Davis has 11.8 points per game, and Williamson represents Mt. Pleasant with 11.2 points per game.

When looking at conference games only, Williamson really starts to shine. The Panthers' senior leader has scored 18.3 points per game in SEC play, which is second in the conference. Northup has scored 20.8 points per game in conference games, which leads the way. Drish scores 12.7 points per game in SEC play. Davis scores 11.3 points. Gridley and Malory Jones represent Fairfield with 11 points per game apiece, and Ft. Madison's Kester averages 10.3 points per game in their three losses.

Third place is on the line in Mt. Pleasant tonight, as the Panthers host Washington. Fairfield will be traveling to Ft. Madison for their first SEC road game, and the first-place Chiefs are on bye.

SEC GIRLS' BASKETBALL STANDINGS:

1. Keokuk 4-0

2. Fairfield 2-1

T-3. Mt. Pleasant 1-2

T-3. Washington 1-2

5. Ft. Madison 3-0