SEC b-ball set to fire back up

To borrow a phrase from two decades ago, 'it's on like Donkey Kong” in the Southeast Conference.

After three days of play, the SEC basketball races are red hot, and Friday night tips off a string of games that decide the 2019-20 race.

Its the biggest day of the season so far in the girls' race. Fairfield and Keokuk are the only two 3-0 teams on the girls' side, meaning there will be a 4-0 frontrunner after the night is done.

The Trojans are coming off a dominant 74-36 win over Burlington two weeks ago. Before that, the Trojans beat Washington by 13 and Ft. Madison by nine, both wins coming on the road. The senior duo of Shay Drish and Destiny Gridley has been big so far, with both players scoring in double digits in all three SEC wins.

Keokuk hasn't had to sweat much in their there conference wins. The Chiefs took games over Burlington, Mt. Pleasant and Ft. Madison, winning all three games by 18 points or more.

The Panthers sit in third after three SEC contests. Mt. Pleasant has won two conference games by a combined nine points, beating Ft. Madison by five and Washington by four, both at home. The Panthers struggled in their only SEC road game so far, falling by 23 points at Keokuk.

The Demons have played close games all three nights and find themselves at 1-2. Washington sandwiched an eight-point win over Burlington in between their losses to Fairfield and Mt. Pleasant.

That leaves two winless teams at the bottom. Burlington and Ft. Madison have had their share of close calls but neither has found the win column so far.

In a wild first few days of SEC boys basketball, only one team remains unscathed. The Washington boys made a statement with a 37-point win at Fairfield in the first conference game of the year and then proved to be title contenders with a three-point win at Burlington and a 12-point home victory against Mt. Pleasant.

The boys race has featured multiple contests that went right down to the wire and the conference championship seems up for grabs, but Washington's three wins have put them in the early drivers seat. The Demons sport a remarkably balanced team, with seven players averaging six points per game or more and nobody averaging more than 12.

The two teams nipping at Washington's heel are Burlington and Keouk. The Grayhounds knocked off the Chiefs on the road, winning by two in double overtime, just 10 days before falling to Washington.

Mt. Pleasant and Fairfield are both sitting at 1-2 after picking up one win each over Ft. Madison. The Panthers topped the Hounds by eight points before dropping a six-point home game to Keokuk and then falling by 1 at Washington. The Trojans beat the Bloodhounds by four points, sandwiched in between doubled-digit losses to Washington and Burlington.

The only winless team in SEC boys basketball is Ft. Madison. Two of the Bloodhounds' three SEC losses have bene by single digits.

All 12 SEC teams are in action tonight (Friday) and they will all be looking to start the new decade off on the right foot.

SEC GIRLS BAKETBALL STANDINGS:

T-1. Fairfield 3-0

T-1. Keokuk 3-0

3. Mt. Pleasant 2-1

4. Wasington 1-2

T-5. Burlington 0-3

T-5. Ft. Madison 0-3

SEC BOYS BASKETBALL STANDINGS:

1. Washington 3-0

T-2. Burlington 2-1

T-2. Keokuk 2-1

T-4. Mt. Pleasant 1-2

T-4. Fairfield 1-2

6. Ft. Madison 0-3