The Washington Demons will play the final games of their three-game homestand tonight, hosting Mediapolis for a double-header you can hear on KCII.
The Washington girls suffered their first setbacks of the season on Friday against Keokuk. Not only did the Demons take their first loss, 49-41, but leading scorer and senior point guard Adalyn Long was forced to leave the contest early due to injury as well. Washington will look to replace that scoring, with other seniors like Leighton Messinger and Addison Miller most likely to handle the load going forward. Freshman Ashlynn Long, who saw increased minutes with Adalyn Long out of the game, is likely to see her role increased moving forward. One area the Demon girls have excelled in early this season is rebounding. Washington is averaging nearly 37 rebounds per game. Messinger and Addison Miller are also the team’s leading rebounders, with 7.7 and 6.3 per game respectively.
Tonight’s opponent, Mediapolis, is going to be a tough test, especially without Long. The Bulldogs are 2-0 and are state-ranked, coming in at #11 in Class 3A. The Bulldogs defeated #12 Tipton 57-54 last Friday, and opened the season with a 74-23 win over Danville. Senior Ellah Wagenbach leads Mediapolis in scoring, averaging 21.5 points per game. She dropped 22 against Tipton. Fellow seniors Josie Hutcheson, Amelia Grier, and Grace Holsteen are all averaging in double-digit figures after two games.
This will be the third time the two teams have met since late 2024. In both previous matchups, the Bulldogs defeated the Demons by double-digits.
Girls head coach Colin Mulford says his girls have consistently been prepared to play heading into games this season. “Yeah, it feels awesome. We have a bunch of girls who, you know, it’s kind of a good problem that I have. There are a lot of girls that deserve minutes, but only five girls can play at a time. So, it’s that mentality that the girls already have with themselves, that we have to be ready to play.”
The Washington boys also suffered their first loss of 2025 on Friday, but will look to bounce back. The Demons will look for continued scoring efforts from senior Rajan Roth, who leads the way through two games with 15 points per game. Senior Drew Conrad and junior Nic Stone are both averaging double-digits, with Conrad also leading the team in assists alongside fellow senior Kael Williams. Washington is averaging 45.5 points per game to begin the season.
On the other side, the Mediapolis boys are 2-0 for the season and are coming off of a narrow win over West Burlington, 58-55. While the boys are not state-ranked, the Bulldogs have two 20-points-per game scorers in seniors Will Luttenegger and Max Griffin. Mediapolis is looking to improve upon a 13-11 record from a year ago.
Boys head coach Collin Stark, following the loss against Keokuk, looked back on the game while speaking with KCII. “I thought we did some things where we executed a lot better. Scoring 21, I think half of our points in the third quarter. That shows that when we execute, we will be able to score points.”
Tonight’s doubleheader begins with the Demon Basketball Pregame Show at 5:30 p.m. Tip-off for the girls contest will follow at 6, and the boys contest will start soon after the conclusion of the first game. You can listen in on FM106.1, the KCII1 app, and kciiradio.com.