High School Basketball
WACO traveled to Winfield-Mt. Union for a packed conference matchup that was everything the fans wanted in a rivalry game. The girls teams hit the ground running as WACO forced the Wolves to turn the ball over and with Ellah Kissell playing well in the first half the Warriors had the lead going into halftime 27-26. However, it was the Wolves the rest of the way defensively, allowing only 12 points in the second half as Coach McCreight turned the pressure up on WACO. Melina Oepping iced the game making her free throws as she powered in a three-point play with the final being 46-39. Kissell led the Warriors with 15 points on the night.
The boys teams followed up that dramatic finish with their own physical, foul-laden game where if the Warriors made their lay-ups they win by ten and if the Wolves made their free throws they walk away with an easy win; nevertheless, the fans were treated to a close game. The Wolves had the first advantage as they were up three heading into halftime, 22-19, despite the Warriors capitalizing on three different three point plays. However, it was defense again that came into play as this time the Warrior defense held the Wolves to just 16 points in the second half, including four in the third quarter, while the Warriors ended the third quarter on a 9-0 run. Coach Kissell credited his assistants and his players for their defensive recognition. Colton Leichty would make his free throw to push the lead to four late in the game as the final was 42-38. Winfield-Mt. Union will travel to Wapello Friday, December 9th, with the girls starting at 6 pm. WACO will host Columbus Friday with the girls scheduled to start at 6 pm.
The Mt. Pleasant girls basketball team captured their first victory of the season against Oskaloosa last night 41-32. Andrea Lopreato led the Panthers with a stat stuffer double-double as she had 24 points and 17 rebounds. Mt. Pleasant will be at home again Friday for a conference matchup against Keokuk at 7:30 pm.
The Central Lee girls basketball team fell in a close, high-scoring game to Burlington Notre Dame 76-73. The Nikes were led by Abby Korschgen, who tallied a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds. The boys basketball team fell 59-40 as the Nikes got off to a 21-9 run to start the game. Central Lee will be back on the road to face off with Van Buren County this Friday with the girls going at 6 pm.
The New London boys basketball team defeated Danville last night 69-58 thanks to big second and third quarters as the Tigers outscored the Bears 45 to 24 during that span. The New London girls team fell 57-19 to Danville last night. The Tigers next game will be at home against Holy Trinity Catholic while the Bears will travel to play Burlington Notre Dame on Friday at 7:30 pm. The New London girls team hosts Lone Tree tomorrow at 6 pm.
Mediapolis went 2-0 on the night as the girls team defeated the Crusaders 54-35 with Payton Bush scoring 21 points for the Bulldogs. The boys game was a very similar story with Mediapolis winning 74-52.
The Mt. Pleasant boys basketball team will have to wait until December 9th to play again as they will travel to Keokuk for tip-off at 7:30 pm. KILJ will be on the call with pregame at 7:15 pm.
High School Wrestling
The Mt. Pleasant girls and boys wrestling teams will be traveling to Keokuk to wrestle tomorrow, December 8th.
.Elementary Basketball Tournament
The Mount Pleasant Christmas Holidays 3 on 3 Basketball Tournament for 3rd – 8th grade boys and girls will be held on Dec 17th, 2022. For more registration details contact Coach Ronnie Ashton at 319-931-2896.
Iowa Wesleyan Athletics
The men’s basketball team is 11-1 on the season and on a 10-game winning streak. However, Coach Ashton knows it will be tough to keep their win streak intact against Western Illinois tonight at 6 pm.
The women’s basketball team’s next game is December 13th on the road against Grace College at 2 pm.
The women’s wrestling team match for today has been canceled and has not been rescheduled yet. Their next match will be December 16th at the Avila University Dual Tournament. The men’s wrestling team’s next match will be January 10th at Central Methodist University.
Iowa Wesleyan’s next Indoor Track and Field competition will be Friday, December 9th, at the Grinnell Opener at 9 am.
This Day in Sports History
1939 – Lou Gehrig, 36, is elected to Baseball’s Hall of Fame.
1996 – First Big 12 Championship Game: Texas beats #3 Nebraska, 37-27.
2020 – The competitive form of breakdancing, confirmed as an Olympic sport for the Paris 2024 games.