Washington drops road matchup

FORT MADISON — Washington battled for as long as it could on Monday night in Fort Madison.

The Demons battled through and through and were never down and out, but they didn’t have enough to top the Bloodhounds, falling 52-46.

The opening quarter was a back and forth affair. Washington’s lone lead of the night came in the first two minutes of the game with a 3-2 advantage.

But for the rest of the quarter, the Demons would score just four more points.

Fort Madison jumped out to a lead of 10-4 and by the end of the first period, they would lead 12-7.

In the second, it took the Demons nearly three minutes to find their first basket, as the Bloodhounds built up a 19-7 lead.

With a lay-in with less than 25 seconds on the clock, Washington was able to make it a 12 point game, 33-21, heading into the half.

In the third, the Demons continued to scrap and claw. They were able to get the game to within six, but the Bloodhounds built back up a 10 point lead.

Fort Madison hit a layup with 10 seconds on the clock to head into the fourth period up 44-32.

Washington came close in the fourth.

The Demons put together a 9-0 run up until the 5:36 mark, cutting the Bloodhound lead to just three, 44-41.

Neither team would score over the next two minutes, but it would be Fort Madison putting points on the board.

Fort Madison hit one free throw to make it 45-41 with 3:24 to go.

The Demons answered back with two of their own to cut the lead to two, 45-43, the closet they had been since the first quarter.

They would cut it to two once again at 48-46, but Fort Madison hit its free throws down the stretch.

Washington moves to 5-3 overall on the season and 2-2 in Southeast Conference play. The Demons will be back in action after Christmas break against Fairfield on Jan. 6, 2023.