Panthers’ offense thwarted by FM girls

MT. PLEASANT — The ball just couldn’t find the basket for the Mt. Pleasant girls basketball team on Friday night.

The Panthers, in need of a win to stay atop the Southeast Conference, found more iron then net in one of the lowest-scoring games of the entire year, a 24-19 home loss.

“We could never get into a flow,” said Mt. Pleasant head coach Curt Watson. “Every time I thought we were getting ready for a run, we'd come down and miss a shot.”

The first quarter saw just nine points scored in the entire period, but a late 3-pointer by Tristian Shull had Mt. Pleasant up 5-4 at the first horn.

The Panthers went ice cold in the second and third. Fort Madison held Mt. Pleasant to just six points in two periods, as the Bloodhounds took a 10-8 lead into halftime and a 17-11 advantage into the fourth.

The Panthers had the game down to one possession midway through the third, but Fort Madison’s defense never faltered.

“I think we got it down to 2, and then we missed a wide-open shot,” Watson said. “It was just that kind of night.”

Andrea Lopreato finished the night with 11 points for Mt. Pleasant. Tristian Shull scored five. Mackenzie Musselman had two, and Hailey Parrott scored one.

The loss not only dropped the Panthers to 5-7 overall, but also 3-2 in SEC play. Mt. Pleasant is now tied with Washington for third place. Fort Madison leads the league at 4-1, and Keokuk is one-half game behind, at 3-1.

Mt. Pleasant will play at Holy Trinity Catholic on Monday night. The Panthers will return to SEC play when they at Fairfield on Friday.

“When you walk out of the locker room, it's got to be over with,” said Watson. “You've got to be ready for Holy Trinity and Fairfield next week.”