The Washington Demons survived a late Burlington storm to defeat the Greyhounds for the first time in three tries this season, advancing to the 3A Region 5 Semifinals with a 53-50 win Monday.

The game got off to a fairly slow start, with defense reigning supreme. Both teams were able to heat up a bit though by the end of the first, with Washington taking a 10-9 lead into the second. A tough, physical second quarter saw moments of frustration, but stout defensive play let Washington take a 22-18 lead into the locker rooms.

In the second half, Washington found themselves able to get to the basket with ease, but their offensive production was matched the other way by deep balls from Kobe Edmunds and Jett Morris. A 17-16 quarter saw the Demons head into the final frame, 38-35.

Washington started the fourth with a couple of big baskets, extending the lead to 8 in the first few minutes of the fourth, but Burlington kept hanging on with clutch baskets from Edmunds and Morris. With the score 51-50 with just 20 seconds to go, Burlington had a chance for their first lead since the first quarter but missed a midrange jumper and a putback off the offensive rebound, allowing Washington to force a jump ball and take possession. The Demons got the inbounds passes they needed and iced the game from the free throw line to win 53-50.

Head coach Collin Stark spoke with KCII after the game. He says he believes his team adapted better to the game that was being played, allowing them to finally come out on top. “You could just tell that our guys, they weren’t complaining, they just kept at it. That’s ultimately, I think sometimes the difference of this basketball game, where I felt like it affected Burlington a little bit, with kind of the physicality of this game that was allowed. And we just capitalized on it.”

Nic Stone led the Demons with 14 points, but Drew Conrad, Kael Williams, and Rajan Roth again all found double-digits on the day. Edmunds and Morris led Burlington with 17 each.

The Demons improve to 13-10 on the season and move on to the 3A Region 5 semifinals on Thursday. They’ll face off against Pella. The Dutch are 19-4 and easily dispatched Fairfield in their first-round matchup, 81-41.