SEC Friday: Panthers host Demons for 1st

The final two 2-0 teams in Southeast Conference boys basketball will square off on Friday night as Washington travels to Mt. Pleasant in the latest chapter of the rivalry.

Friday’s game between the Demons and Panthers will feature a couple of upperclassman led teams. Washington senior Ethan Patterson comes in scoring 20 points per game and also leading the team with four assists per game. Ajay Six comes in with 12 points and six rebounds per game. Aden Six comes in with nine points and 5.8 rebounds per game.

For Mt. Pleasant, junior Payton Hagans is off to a hot start, scoring 15.2 points per game and also leading the team with 9.2 rebounds per game and 2.8 assists per game. Aaiden Ashton scores 11 points per game, and Carter Amos scores six.

Dating back to 2009, Mt. Pleasant holds a 22-6 record against Washington in boys basketball, although the Demons have taken five out of the last seven, including both games last season.

In other boys basketball action, Fairfield will host Burlington in a contest featuring the only two 1-1 teams in the SEC. Either the Trojans or the Grayhounds will be tied for second by the night’s end.

The Fairfield boys have had some trouble with Burlington since the Grayhounds joined the SEC in 2019. The Trojans have only beaten the Grayhounds once in six conference matchups.

Fairfield will look to slow down Merquiche Lewis, who has been ridiculous for Burlington so far this year, scoring 28.5 points per game and pulling down 9.5 rebounds per game. JJ Martin is second on the team with 16 points per game, and nobody else scores more than five.

Lewis will likely see a lot of Max Weaton down low. Fairfield’s senior leader leads the team with 19.6 points per game and 13.4 rebounds per game, and also gets a team-leading 3.2 assists per game.

JJ Lane has been scorching hot for the Trojans as well. He’s scoring 17.3 points per game, and dishes out three assists per game. Tate Allen is the third-leading scorer, at 6.2 points per game.

On the girls’ side, first-place Washington looks to move to 3-0 as they welcome in 2-1 Mt. Pleasant in a game that could have major implications in the race for first.

The Demons have won four of their five games overall this season, including conference victories over Burlington and Fairfield. If they can beat Mt. Pleasant, it will be their first win in the rivalry since 2020.

Mt. Pleasant has beaten Washington 12 out of the last 13 times in girls basketball, including the last four.

Washington senior Alex Murphy leads the team with 12.2 points and 10 rebounds per game, but it’s been the play of the Demon freshmen that has given the team a huge boost. Adalyn Long scores 11.6 points per game and dishes out 2.6 assists per game, and Leighton Messinger scores 9.6 points per game.

Mt. Pleasant’s Andrea Lopreato has been dominant in her senior season, scoring 20 points per game and also leading the team with 14 rebounds per game and 1.9 assists per game. Kate Schimmelpfennig is second in all three of those categories, including a 6.7 points per game mark.

Fairfield and Burlington will be fighting for win number one, as far as conference play is concerned. The Trojans will be looking for their first win overall, after starting 0-6.

The Trojan girls are paced by junior Savannah Hollander, who scores 8.8 points per game. Ashlyn List is right behind Hollander with 8.3 points per game, and Addison Ferrel has scored five points per game, and leads the team in rebounds, with 6.5 boards per contest.

The Trojans will have to slow down Mylee Stiefel, a freshman for Burlington that has jump started the program, scoring 18.8 points per game and dishing out three assists per game so far in her first season.

No team has dominated another like the Fairfield girls have done to Burlington. The Trojans and Grayhounds have played nine times since 2018, with Fairfield not only winning all nine, but winning them all by 19 points or more. Fairfield blasted Burlington 52-11 and 51-18 last year.

In other SEC action, Fort Madison and Keokuk will play in both boys and girls basketball. Both of those games will be in Keokuk. If the Washington girls win and the Fort Madison girls lose, the Demon girls will be alone in first place.