SEC Friday: Trojans, Demons square off

Southeast Conference basketball is back in the limelight as the area’s big schools will return to the courts tonight for a night of league play.

It’s a full night in both girls and boys basketball, meaning three games apiece in the SEC. It’s also the first day of rematches, as teams will match up against the school they played way back on Dec. 3.

After splitting games in Washington earlier this year, the Demons and Trojans will be back at it with another girl-boy doubleheader. This time Fairfield High School will play host.

On Dec. 3, the Trojan girls blew past the Demons 59-35. Delaney Breen dropped 20 points to lead Fairfield, and Danielle Breen added 12. Washington’s Makenna Conrad had 11.

Then, in the boys’ game, the teams went toe-to-toe for four quarters before the Demons emerged victorious, 50-45, utilizing 13-point nights from Lucas Kroll and Ethan Patterson. JJ Lane led Fairfield with 13.

Meanwhile, Mt. Pleasant was losing a pair of nail-biters to Fort Madison.

The Panther boys lost a heartbreaker in Fort Madison, 47-45. Payton Hagans nearly sent the game to overtime with a potential game-tying layup at the buzzer, but the ball rolled off at the horn.

In that game, Dewon Trent scored 17 points to lead the Panthers, but Fort Madison’s Dayton Davis matched that total with 17 of his own.

The Panther girls were torched by Fort Madison star Malarie Ross, who scored 37 points to lead the Bloodhounds to a 55-44 comeback victory.

Kenna Lamm scored 20 points for the Panthers in that loss. Andrea Lopreato had 14. Point guard Tristian Shull went down with an ankle injury in the first quarter, and has just recently returned to the team.

Friday night’s boys game will be in Mt. Pleasant. The girls will play at Fort Madison.

In other action on Friday, Keokuk will play Burlington in both girls and boys basketball. The Keokuk girls and Burlington boys both picked up blowout wins the first time those two teams played.

Heading into Friday night, Fort Madison leads the boys race with a 4-0 conference record. Washington and Burlington are right behind the Bloodhounds at 3-1. Fairfield and Mt. Pleasant are each 1-3, and Keokuk is the only winless squad, at 0-4.

Keokuk leads the girls race with a 4-0 record. Fairfield is one game back, at 3-1. Fort Madison and Mt. Pleasant both sit at 2-2. Washington is 1-3 and Burlington is 0-4.

Fairfield and Washington will tip off with the girls game at 6 p.m. and the boys game following. All other games will begin at 7:30 p.m.