Patterson, Demons sink Mid-Prairie

WELLMAN — Monday night’s non-conference showdown between the Washington and Mid-Prairie boys basketball teams looked to be one of the more even matchups of the year, but somebody forgot to tell that to Demon standout Ethan Patterson.

Ethan Patterson finds space for one of nine made 3-pointers on Monday night at Mid-Prairie. The nine threes broke the old school record, of eight. (Andy Krutsinger/The Union)

Patterson put on a shooting clinic of epic proportions, hitting a new school record nine 3-point baskets and scoring 40 points as the Demons flew past the Golden Hawks 75-53.

"I would say this ranks up there with the best performances that he has had,“ said Washington head coach Collin Stark. ”When he gets hot like that, it's to that point, where once he sees the first couple in, he's locked in for the game.“

The Demons wasted no time getting out to a big lead. Washington had a double-digit advantage in the blink-of-an-eye, thanks in part to a hot start from sophomore Logan McDole, and as the first half went on, Washington just seemed to make shot after shot.

Mid-Prairie's Camron Pickard lays the ball up on Monday night against Washington. (Andy Krutsinger/The Union)

Patterson, in particular, was scolding hot. The Demon sharpshooter put up 22 first-half points, which helped Washington build a 26-14 first quarter lead, and take a 44-22 advantage into halftime.

“We did a poor job early on at just recognizing where he was at,” said Mid-Prairie head coach Daren Lambert. “We know what he can do, and who he is and what his abilities are. He just played extremely well, and unfortunately, we had to be the opponent tonight.”

Mid-Prairie started to claw back in the third, and threatened to get it back down to 10 at one point, but Washington never slowed down. Despite a much more shallow bench, the fast-paced up-and-down action never seemed to cause the Demons any trouble.

Washington’s Aden Six throws down a dunk on Monday night in Wellman. (Andy Krutsinger/The Union)

Washington’s lead was 58-39 after three quarters, thanks in part to 10 more points by Patterson. He scored eight more in the fourth.

The nine 3-pointers breaks a record that Patterson had already tied two other times. There was a multi-way tie for the mark, which included Patterson’s three-year teammate Kasen Bailey, who graduated last spring.

Coach Stark says Patterson deserved to have that kind of a night.

“Everyone always talks about and wants to be that way,” Stark said. “It’s the amount of work you have to put in to be able to shoot that way.”

Aden Six added 14 points to the Demons’ total, including a big dunk in the second quarter, which immediately followed a slam by Mid-Prairie’s Shawn Dodds. McDole and Ajay Six scored 10 apiece. Evan Van Der Molen and Avery Six each put up two.

Mid-Prairie’s Ace Peck runs the fast break on Monday night. (Andy Krutsinger/The Union)

Camron Pickard and Ace Peck co-led the Golden Hawks with 13 points apiece. Each of them knocked down three 3-pointers on the day. Alex Bean scored 11. Dylan Henry had five points and seven rebounds. Dodds scored four points. Collin Miller put up three, and both Brady Weer and Karson Grout finished with two.

Washington moved to 8-7 with the win. Mid-Prairie is now 10-8.