For the first time this season, the Washington Demons have split a doubleheader. The Washington girls fell to the state-ranked Mediapolis Bulldogs 49-30, while the boys held on for a 55-52 win.
The girls were seeking a bit of an upset against Class 3A #12 Mediapolis, and for awhile, it looked like the Demons would at least have a chance to do so. Washington’s defense kept the Mediapolis attack at bay, and held a Bulldog team that averaged over 60 points coming into the game to just 21 points. Still, the Demons trailed at the break, 21-17.
Washington saw the deficit extended to 8 by the end of the third quarter, and while not ideal, a strong run should have positioned the Demons for that potential bid. Unfortunately, Mediapolis got hot at just the right time, with Grace Holsteen and Ellah Wagenbach combining for five 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to blow the game wide open. With the starters pulled at the end, the Bulldogs cruised to a 49-30 win.
Washington was led by Oaklee Sobaski’s 10 points, although for the second straight game the Demons’ leading scorer had to leave the game due to injury. Sobaski left the game in the third quarter after landing hard on a loose ball. Senior Addison Miller added 8 points for the second straight game. Mediapolis was led by Wagenbach’s 23. Holsteen picked up 12, all in the second half.
Washington’s girls fall to 2-2 on the season, their second straight loss after starting the season 2-0. Head coach Colin Mulford says he put a press on in the final few minutes to try to tip the game in Washington’s favor. “Yeah, in that last few minutes it kinda got away from us. I put that on me. I felt like we needed to speed them up a little bit, to give us more chances, to get the ball back, and then they beat the press and all of a sudden they made like four straight threes. It’s what it felt like, I don’t know if it was four, but that’s what it felt like.”
The Washington boys then took to the floor, and came out hot. The Demons started the game on a 21-6 run, and were attacking the basket with seemingly constant success. The Bulldogs, after slowly finding their footing, did all they could to keep it close, and Washington led 30-17 at the half.
Things got more interesting out of the locker rooms, as Washington came out with a little less aggressiveness while Mediapolis’s shots began to fall. Washington found itself having to hang on, and keep pace with a Bulldogs team that was slowly chipping away at their lead. Fortunately, the Demons did just enough to keep Mediapolis away, hanging on for a narrow 55-52 win.
Rajan Roth led Washington in scoring for the third straight game to start the year, with 15 points. Nic Stone had 13, 10 of which came in the first half. Drew Conrad found double-digits once again, adding 12. The Bulldogs were led by Max Griffin, who had a game high 21.
Head coach Collin Stark says the team’s starting five, who scored all 55 points in the win, will help now, but they’re also focused on building the future. “Our starting five has played together for a very long time. And it shows. And we talked at the beginning of the year, that we’ve got those five returning and we’re trying to put the next group in stretches that they can be successful.”
The boys improve to 2-1. The three-game homestand for Washington comes to an end. The Demon boys and girls will hit the road this Friday for more SEC play when they travel to Fairfield. That doubleheader can be heard on FM106.1, the KCII1 app, and kciiradio.com. Pre-game will start around 5:30 p.m, tip of the girls game at 6, with the boys to follow.