Washington boys knock off Central Lee

Fouls were forcing the Washington boys? basketball team into a different strategy on Tuesday night.

Two starters found themselves with three fouls in the first half against Central Lee, but the Demons didn?t flinch, and multiple athletes stepped up to help Washington claim a 71-63 victory.

?The officiating was consistent, and we didn?t do a good job of adjusting to how they were officiating,? Washington head coach Bryce Smeins said. ?You had to take an arm off to get a foul called (on Friday night at Fairfield). Tonight they called a lot, but they were consistent. We only committed five fouls in the second half, and our defense was better because of it.?

That defense prevented Central Lee from reaching the free-throw line in the second half. The Hawks were 6-of-16 from the charity stripe in the first two quarters.

With senior guard Derek Anding on the bench for much of the first half with foul trouble, sophomore Dalton Myers took over the scoring role, notching 23 points, to lead four Demons who finished the game in double figures.

?If I put up a couple of shots and I know it?s there, I know I can put up a lot,? Myers said. ?If it?s there, I feel like I can do it.?

Myers also led the team in assists, dishing out five in the game.

The sophomore was joined in double-digit scoring by junior Mason Rich, who recorded a season-high 13 points, Jack Redlinger, who came off the bench to score 12 points and grab a team-high seven rebounds, and Anding, who finished the game with 10 points.

?They did a nice job,? Smeins said. ?Derek (Anding) and Bryce Sinn got in foul trouble in the first half, and it?s hard to get back into the game sometimes. Mason played really well and Dalton played well. Our bench came in and played well too.?

The Demons and Hawks were tight the entire game, with no team holding more than a seven-point lead through the first three quarters.

Holding a one-point lead heading into the fourth quarter, the Demons got a spark from Rich, who put in 11 of his 13 points in the final frame, pushing their lead to as many as 14 points.

Central Lee looked to battle back with a pair of buckets, but couldn?t get close enough to reclaim the lead.

Washington?s victory marks the second win in seven tries, but of the five losses over that span, four have been by seven or fewer points.

?We got beat in overtime at Center Point and Fairfield was close, so we?ve been competitive since Christmas,? Smeins said. ?Keokuk has some good size, and the goal is to keep their post under control. If we can do that, we?ll stay in the game.?

With so many close games, the Demons feel like their confidence is building toward the end of the season, and Rich noted that he hopes it carries over to Keokuk.

?I think we can bring in quite a bit of confidence,? Rich said. ?They beat us that first game, but if we play like we did in that second half the whole game, we might have a chance.?

Washington fell to the Chiefs 79-69 earlier this season, and will look to avenge that loss at 7:30 p.m. on Friday.