The Washington Demons girls basketball team kicked off its 2025-26 campaign with a dominant 58-32 win over Muscatine Tuesday night.

Unlike last year, where Washington played to a 55-52 nail-biting win over the Muskies, Washington’s win was never in doubt this time. Leo Loos’ 15-foot jumper gave Muscatine the 2-0 lead, but that was the only time the Muskies would hold any kind of lead. The Demons proved to be relentless, giving Muscatine’s guards no room to breathe on the floor. That aggressiveness also showed itself on the offensive side of things, with Washington frequently crashing the boards to pick up plenty of offensive rebounds. Vivienne Kroll’s layup tied things up at 2-2, and Adalyn Long fought through contact to put the Demons up for good at 4-2.

Washington led 13-4 at the end of the first quarter, and only furthered that gap in the second quarter. The Demons outscored the Muskies 14-3, with senior Adalyn Long leading the way. Long was a leader both defensively and offensively, shutting down the Muskies’ top-scoring returnee from 2024 while pouring in the points. Long had 15 at the half, including three 3-pointers. Washington led at the break 27-7.

The third quarter saw Muscatine put up more of a fight, reducing the lead to as little as 14, but a continued assault from outside let Washington keep the Muskies at arm’s length. Despite losing the quarter 17-12, Washington never truly let Muscatine back into the game. The fourth quarter saw limited action from the starters, as another extended Washington run pushed the lead to as many as 30, but the Demons eventually settled for a 26-point win, 58-32.

Adalyn Long ultimately led the way for the Demons. The senior finished with 29 points while recording seven 3-pointers. Senior Addison Miller added 7 points and several rebounds. Muscatine was led by Ella Maynard, who knocked down 4 3-pointers of her own to finish with 14.

Head coach Colin Mulford joined KCII on the post game show, where he said he was pleased with the effort brought forward by the girls. “I thought they did really well. The biggest thing is that they play together really well. There’s no one really selfish on the team. They all play together, they all play for each other. There’s no egos, there’s no issues, so they’re just willing to go to battle for each other every single play.

Washington is now 1-0 on the season, defeating Muscatine for the second straight season. Prior to 2024, the Demons had lost 8 straight to the Muskies dating back to 2012. Washington will head into the Thanksgiving break before their first home action of the season against Albia next Tuesday. That game is a double header with the boys’ basketball team, and can be heard on KCII.