Patterson pockets 3-pointers, propels Washington to comeback win

WASHINGTON - If a team can start a game on a 21-7 run, it should know the opponent can close a half with a banked-in 3-pointer at the buzzer to top off a 22-8 run that tied the game at 29 for halftime.

Washington had that first run, but Fort Madison's run didn't stop til it was up 10 early in the fourth quarter. The Demons closed the game on a 21-8 run to win the Southeast Conference thriller 58-55.

Ethan Patterson scored the dagger Washington points for a 54-53 lead with a clutch 3-pointer (his fifth of the game) out of a timeout.

'We had worked on that in practice and it was set up so Kasen (Bailey) or me could take the shot,” Patterson said. 'He gave me a great pass.”

A missed Washington free throw was Trashaun Willis' chance to tip out the offensive rebound and maintain possession. Patterson made four consecutive free throws after that on his way to 21 points.

'Last year, we had a lot of close games, so I am getting used to this,” Patterson said. 'You are always going to be nervous up there, so you just have to know you're the man and step up.”

Trailing by 14 in the second quarter, the Bloodhounds stepped up their three-quarter court press and it confounded the Demons.

'With a kid at the top like Dayton Davis, who is long with that wingspan, it makes it difficult to pass over or around him,” Fort Madison coach Ryan Wilson said. 'His motor doesn't stop even though he played all 32 minutes.”

And was the game's leading scorer with 22 points.

Basketball is a game of runs. Whoever makes the most or the longest ones will likely win the game.

'We made a big one in the middle but to Washington's credit they did not go away,” Wilson said. 'They executed late and pressured our guys to make decisions that hurt us.”

Bailey got his third foul in the second quarter and it led to the Bloodhounds run, Washington head coach Collin Stark said. 'I have to learn from that because I think that was the difference.”

Fort Madison ran a play at Bailey to start the second half for an easy layup which was better for Washington than a fourth foul, but it kept the second quarter momentum going and Fort Madison scored the first seven points of the second half and 12 of the first 17.

Down 47-37 Stark called time with 6:52 to go in the game.

'I scrapped everything we were doing and it worked. Their 2-3 zone, we had done some adjustments and nothing was working. The guys quit thinking and started reacting. That's the main thing, the guys made plays. That's why we play the game.”

Lucas Kroll and Bailey each scored eight points while Leyden and Lance Sobaski had four each.

Fort Madison is 1-2 in the league and 3-4 overall. Washington goes into the Christmas break with an unbeaten SEC record at 3-0, 4-1 overall. the one loss was to No. 3 ranked (Class 3A) Pella.

'It kind of feels like we stole that one, but we will learn from it,” Stark said. 'It's always better to learn from a win than to learn from a loss.”