Panthers secure SEC

MT. PLEASANT — On Dec. 20 in Burlington, Mt. Pleasant fell victim to a buzzer-beating 3-point shot by Grayhound guard Christos Kantzavelos. Kantzavelos gave his team a two-point win, and cast a shadow over the Panthers’ conference championship dreams.

On Thursday night in Mt. Pleasant, the ninth-ranked Panthers made sure the Grayhounds were never in position to burn them again. Mt. Pleasant lead start to finish, beating the Grayhounds 67-57 in a game that decided the 2022-23 Southeast Conference title.

“I don't know if the Panthers are back,” said Mt. Pleasant head coach Eric Rawson. “But they certainly were tonight.”

And back they were. Mt. Pleasant was not only back on top of Highway 34 rival Burlington after dropping the last four games in the series, but the Panthers were also back to celebrating a conference title for the first time since the back end of a 3-peat in 2017-18.

“I remember going to Wells Fargo and watching them,” said senior Carter Amos. “It's nice to know that we're the next team to do it.”

A packed crowd at Mt. Pleasant Community High School saw the Panthers absolutely dominate the first five minutes of the game. Mt. Pleasant at one point held a 17-2 advantage, threatening to run away with the game early.

“There's a lot of energy coming in,” said Panther senior Owen Vansickel. “We know how much we want to protect our home ground.”

The Panthers led 21-11 after one quarter, thanks in large part to 13 points from the starting posts, with Amos scoring seven first quarter points, and Nate Strout adding six.

Junior Payton Hagans took over much of the scoring in the second quarter. He had 14 points at halftime, but Mt. Pleasant’s lead was down to single digits, at 37-28.

A buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Vansickel helped the Panthers hold a 53-42 lead after three quarters. Burlington chiseled the advantage down to as little as three points, but the Grayhounds could never tie it back up.

“The focus and the energy was outstanding, and I just want to thank the community for the support,” said Coach Rawson. “That was a huge factor in the game.”

It was Mt. Pleasant’s 11th-straight win. The Panthers haven’t lost since the buzzer beater in Burlington.

“Since we've lost to them, that's all we've been thinking about,” said Amos. “The win streak going on right now has all kind of been gassed by that.”

Hagans finished with 20 points, nine rebounds and four assists to lead Mt. Pleasant. Amos and Aaiden Ashton each had 13 points. Stroud finished with 11, and Vansickel added 10.

Mt. Pleasant is now 16-3 overall. The Panthers are 9-1 in SEC play, two games above Burlington and Washington with only one left to go. The Panthers play a non-conference home game against Ottumwa on Monday.