The Washington Demons found themselves swept by Keokuk for the second time this season, this time on the road, the girls falling 62-32, and the boys 70-51.

The Washington girls were looking to avenge an 8-point loss from earlier from the season, but from the jump, it was clear the Demons were outmatched on this particular night. After an Adalyn Long three-pointer put the game at 4-3, the Chiefs ripped off a 16-0 run to immediately put the game out of reach. Washington struggled to put the ball in the hoop, while Keokuk’s leading scorers Kendra Boatman and Elizabeth Mason continued to control the game on both sides of the floor. Washington trailed 20-7 after the first, and saw the gap widen to 32-15 by halftime.

More Keokuk runs came in the second half, and Washington saw its chances at a comeback dwindle. The Chiefs led 49-24 after the third, and ultimately coasted to a 30-point win, 62-32.

Long finished as the only player in double-digits for Washington, recording 15. Boatman and Mason led Keokuk with 25 and 20 respectively. Washington drops to 7-5, 3-3 in conference, while Keokuk improves to 8-4 and 5-1 in conference.

The Washington boys came in looking to close the gap on what was previously a 36-point loss back in December. The Demons came out aggressive, taking it right to the paint and challenging Keokuk’s guards, showing no fear of the Chiefs’ 6’10” star center Jaxon Clark. Defensively, Washington was able to keep the ball from being passed to Clark, but showed signs of trouble keeping him from rebounding the ball. A back and forth first half eventually saw the Demons head into the locker rooms trailing by 1, 29-28.

Unfortunately, the Demons ran out of gas in the second half, and were unable to contain Clark from reaching his usual dominant self. A third quarter run brought the Keokuk crowd back into the game, with the Chiefs taking a 24-11 quarter and a 14 point lead. That deficit was too much for Washington to overcome, as Keokuk completed the sweep with a 70-51 win. Head coach Collin Mulford says he thinks his team did well against a tough matchup in Clark and the Chiefs. “You know, it’s a tough matchup, especially at the high school level. But I thought our guys battled and really neutralized him inside. It was the offensive rebounds that hurt us a little today, and even too it wasn’t as much with him as opposed to maybe putting too much focus on boxing him out and letting the rebound get to somebody else. And that’s stuff that we’ll watch film on and find out where exactly that was coming from.”

Washington was led by Rajan Roth’s 14, but Kael Williams and Nic Stone each added 13 in defeat. Clark finished with 41 points, the only Chief to reach double-digits. Washington falls to 7-4 and 3-3 in the Southeast Conference, Keokuk improves to 9-2 and 6-0 in conference.

The Washington girls will compete over the weekend, a girls only contest at home against Oskaloosa. Both teams will combine again for a trip to Tipton on Monday. The Tiger girls are state-ranked in Class 3A, while the Tiger boys are yet to earn a win this season.