‘Snakebit’ Mt. Pleasant girls fall at home

MT. PLEASANT — Sometimes you just can’t catch a break.

The Mt. Pleasant girls basketball team was just getting one starting guard back when they lost the other minutes into the Southeast Conference opener against defending champion Fort Madison. The Bloodhounds took full advantage, with a 55-44 victory.

Senior guard Kenna Lamm was back in the starting lineup for the Panthers after returning from an illness, but the backcourt took another hit when junior point guard Tristian Shull went down with a sprained ankle early in the first quarter.

“It's like we're snakebit this year,” said Mt. Pleasant head coach Curt Watson. “She's a three-year starter and it just hurts without her.”

Without Shull, the Panthers had a rough time catching up to Fort Madison senior Melanie Ross. The SEC’s leading returning scorer lit the Panthers up for 37 points.

Fort Madison led 14-8 after the first quarter. Lamm had nine points in the second quarter to help the Panthers leap to a 23-21 lead at the break.

“I thought Kenna Lamm played awesome,” Watson said. “We kind of had to play her more than we wanted to in her first game coming back.”

The Bloodhounds had too much in the second half, however. Ross scored 27 in the last two periods, as Fort Madison led 40-30 after three quarters and ended the night with an 11-point victory.

Lamm ended the day with 20 points to lead Mt. Pleasant. Andrea Lopreato had 15. Jadan Brumbaugh finished the day with five, and Kate Schimmelpfennig scored four.

Panthers drop Saturday game

MT. PLEASANT - One night after the loss to Fort Madison, the Mt. Pleasant girls dropped their second-straight over the weekend. On Saturday, West Burlington upended the Panthers 52-42.

Mt. Pleasant held a 24-22 halftime lead thanks in part to eight points from Lopreato. The Panthers stretched the advantage to 37-32 to start the fourth, but the Falcons dominated the final eight minutes.

Lopreato had 15 points on Saturday. Lamm finished the day with 11. Brumbaugh had eight. Elsie Lange scored four. Andi Scott had three, and Schimmelpfennig finished with two.