The Washington girls will attempt to play spoiler tonight as the Demons head back to Tipton to face off against the state-ranked Tigers.
Both Washington and Tipton are coming off big first round wins. The Demons knocked off SEC rival Fairfield 63-21, while Tipton defeated South Tama County 45-24. Washington is 12-10 on the season, and guaranteed a winning season with the first round win over the Trojans. Tipton, meanwhile, is 20-2 and ranked 11th in Class 3A.
For Washington, this is their first trip outside of the first round of the playoffs since the 2019-2020 season. The Demons average 45.7 points a game this season and allow 43.4 points a game. Washington is 2-3 in their last five, but two of those last three losses have been to state ranked teams, including 3A #5 Williamsburg and 3A #13 Mid-Prairie.
Tipton is enjoying their first 20-win season since 2008, and their third straight season with 10 or more wins. It is also their third straight season in a row that the Tigers have made their way into the Regional seminfinal round. Tipton outscores its opponents by an average of 18.3 points, scoring 51.5 and allowing 33.2 points a game.
Head coach Colin Mulford says defending Tipton is a tough ask for any team. “Have to make it difficult for their bigs inside. We have to do a good job of making it difficult for them. They do have shooters around them, so we have to make sure that still we’re closing out, high hand, kind of pretty much have to be sprinting around running around. That’s a tough ask, when you have bigs inside that can score with shooters surrounded by them.”
Earlier this season, the Demons and Tigers met in Tipton for a non-conference matchup. Tipton came out on top in a hard-fought contest, 48-40. Reagan Miller led the Demons with 11 points, while freshman Zane Ehler dropped 14 to lead Tipton and all scorers. Ehler and teammate Jordyn Schmidt both recorded double-doubles in the win.
Tonight’s broadcast can be heard on FM106.1, the KCII1 app, or kciiradio.com. Pregame will start at 6:30, with tip-off at 7 p.m.