High School Basketball
Mt. Pleasant could not expel their early season demons last night against their SEC foe, as the girls’ team fell to Washington 57-17 and the boys’ team lost 61-50. The girls’ saw Paityn Ensminger and Abi Shelangowski each score five points for the Panthers.
The boys’ team for the third time this season held a lead late in the second half, but the Demons slammed the door closed in the 4th quarter, outscoring the Panthers 21 to 10. Aiden Humble led the scoring for Mt. Pleasant with 16 points on five three-pointers followed by Noah Lange and Ian Reid with 12 points.
Head coach Eric Rawson knows his young squad still has to learn the process before worrying about the wins and losses,
“You know we just saw a lot of fight, especially in the first half and through the third quarter and we just ran out of gas in the end. So, you know, the big thing right now with this group is don’t get so hung up on, you know, wins or losses, you know, we’ve got to win days first. Our focus is winning days right now. So, we’ve, you know, we’ve got a break and we’re not back on the court for a game until January 3rd. So, there’s a lot of days for us to win between now and our next game. I think that’s going to be our focus and their focus going into break.”
The Mediapolis girls’ team clobbered New London last night 68-13. Amelia Grier collected 14 points as the team notched 27 steals. New London and Mediapolis will head into winter break.
Columbus swept Wapello last night with the girls’ team winning 57-23 and the boys grabbing their victory with a 54-51 final. Both teams will rest over winter break.
Van Buren County split the night against Danville as the girls’ team fell to the Bears 65-40 and the boys’ team picked up the win last night 74-64. The Warriors will head into winter break.
Danville will travel to Clark County tonight with the girls’ tipping off the night at 5 pm.
The Holy Trinity Catholic girls’ team will take a 7-0 record into the winter break after a narrow 43-39 victory over Burlington Notre Dame last night. The Crusader boys’ team handed the Nikes their first loss of the season in a thrilling 55-54 final as Luke Hellige cashed in for 24 points.
The Central Lee girls’ team cruised to a 62-37 win over West Burlington last night, while the West Burlington boys’ team handled the Hawks 79-39. The Falcon boys’ team enters winter break with a perfect 7-0 record.
Fairfield helped Keokuk right the ship in conference play as the girls’ team lost 67-17 and the boys’ team fell 69-43. The Trojan boys’ team will host Hillcrest Academy today at 4:30 pm.
High School Wrestling
The Mediapolis, Columbus/Winfield-Mt. Union, New London, and Burlington Notre Dame boys’ teams will continue the Fort Madison Invitational today.
The Van Buren County boys’ team will travel to Dike-New Hartford in a dual tournament today.
The Wapello, Mt. Pleasant, and WACO boys’ teams will compete at the Regina Catholic Invitational today.
The Columbus/Winfield-Mt. Union girls’ team will compete in the John Randles Invite at Prairie today.
The Wapello and WACO girls’ teams will travel to Chariton for an invitational today.
High School Bowling
Mt. Pleasant competed at a triangular in Burlington yesterday and the girls’ team won with 2,141 pins followed by Burlington and Washington, respectively; moreover, the boys’ team finished with 2,310 pins, which was good enough for 2nd place behind Burlington. Bethany Drury bowled a 311 for the girls, while Henry Pforts collected a 346 for the boys. The Panthers will face off against Washington after winter break.
Southeastern Community College
The #20 men’s basketball team will take on Western Iowa Tech at home on January 8th with tip-off scheduled for 7 pm.
College Football
#18 Iowa State will face off against #16 Miami in the Pop Tarts Bowl on December 28th at 2:30 pm in Orlando.
Iowa will take on #19 Missouri for the Music City Bowl on December 30th in Nashville at 1:30 pm.
College Basketball
The #3 Iowa State men’s team will host Morgan State tomorrow, December 22nd, with game time scheduled for noon.
The Iowa men’s team will meet Utah tonight at 5 pm in a road matchup.
The #22 Iowa women’s team held off Northern Iowa last night 92-86. Lucy Olsen led the way with 21 points and seven assists. The Hawkeyes will compete at home on December 29th against Purdue at 2 pm.
The Iowa State women’s team will look to get back in the win column today on the road against Oklahoma State at 4 pm.
This Day in Sports History
1891 – First basketball game based on rules created by James Naismith is played by 18 students in Springfield, Massachusetts.
1937 – Chicago Blackhawks left winger Paul Thompson becomes the first player in NHL history to score a goal against his brother, goaltender Cecil Thompson of the Boston Bruins, with just nine seconds left in regulation; Bruins win though, 2-1.
1969 – Vince Lombardi coached his last football game, a 20-10 loss to the Cowboys in Dallas, to finish with a 7-5-2 season and a career record of 105-35-6.