High School Basketball
Mt. Pleasant got to enjoy two types of basketball games against Fairfield last night: an overtime buzzer beater and a clobbering of a conference opponent, both wins for the Panthers. The girls’ game started slow with the Trojans holding on to an 18 to 12 lead at halftime, but the Panthers battled back in the second half and at one point led late; however, Fairfield captured the lead 36 to 34 with time running down. Paityn Ensminger ripped away a loose ball and found an open Kynlee White who knocked a mid-range bucket to force the game into overtime.
Again, Fairfield grabbed on to a four-point lead; yet, Mt. Pleasant battled back again with two clutch Kynlee White free throws, a steal from Alexa Fuller, and an Abby Carthy lay-up and free throw to cut the deficit down to 50 to 49. The Panthers were left with one last shot and it was Carthey, who finished the game with 13 points, that called game with a lay-up that just crawled over the front of the rim and in to seal the 51-50 final. Head coach Curt Watson was beyond proud of his team’s effort after the game. Savannah Hollander led the Trojans with 20 points. White and Juliana Burns contributed 10 points each in the win and coach Watson believes this confidence will carry his team forward. The Mt. Pleasant girls’ team will face off against Burlington at home on Friday, January 12th, at 6 pm.
In the boys’ game, Mt. Pleasant extended their win streak to six games after their 64-43 victory over Fairfield. The Panthers saw Nate Stroud and Noah Lange dominate the lane as they both finished with 14 points. Payton Hagans led the team with 25 points, while Eli Zillman collected 17 points for Fairfield. Head coach Eric Rawson talked about the atmosphere after the win. The Panthers will host Wilton on Monday, January 8th, at 7:15 pm. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will have the call with the pregame show at 7 pm.
The New London girls’ team fell to Burlington Notre Dame last night 84-21. The boys’ team lost to the Nikes 83-51.
WACO swept Pekin last night with the girls winning 41-35 and the boys team taking their matchup 53-31. Emma Wagler went off for 19 points in the girls’ game, while the boys were led by Hunter Hughes’ 18 points. The Warriors will travel to New London on Monday, January 8th, with the girls’ scheduled to play at 6 pm.
The Winfield-Mt. Union boys’ team rushed out to a 68-31 victory over Lone Tree last night. Abram Edwards collected a double-double with 13 points and 18 rebounds, while Cam Buffington led the Wolves with 20 points. The Wolves girls’ team was unable to keep up with the Lions as they fell 64-46. Winfield-Mt. Union will host Mediapolis on Monday with the girls’ leading off the night at 6 pm.
The Mediapolis girls’ team utilized a 20-0 run to start the game to take down Van Buren County last night 57-33. The Van Buren County girls’ team will compete against Burlington Notre Dame on January 12th at 6 pm, while the boys’ team will face off against New London on Tuesday at 7:30 pm.
The Holy Trinity Catholic girls’ team defeated Central Lee last night 56-37. The boys’ team for the Crusaders also picked up a win in dominating fashion 59-22. Luke Hellige led the way with 25 points on the night. Central Lee will face off against Fort Madison today at 11:30 am at home.
The Danville girls’ team cruised past West Burlington last night 72-20. The West Burlington boys’ team remained undefeated after taking down Danville 70-57. The Bears girls’ team will face off against Holy Trinity Catholic on Monday at 6 pm, while the boys’ team will host the Crusaders on Tuesday, January 9th, at 7:30 pm.
High School Wrestling
The Mt. Pleasant girls’ team competed at the Highland tournament yesterday and had two wrestlers compete. Paris Phosy finished 1-2 in the 115-pound weight class, while Katana Phangchanthong finished 2-2 in the 120-pound weight class. The Panthers will travel to Washington to compete in a dual on January 11th.
The Columbus/Winfield-Mt. Union and WACO girls’ teams will participate in the scramble on Monday, January 8th, at Burlington Notre Dame.
The boys’ teams of Mt. Pleasant, New London, WACO and Columbus/Winfield-Mt. Union will participate in a tournament today at Highland.
High School Bowling
Mt. Pleasant will bowl in the Louisa-Muscatine tournament today.
College Basketball
The #4 Iowa women’s team is off to their best start since the 1995-96 season after taking down Rutgers last night 103-69. Caitlin Clark finished with a triple-double with 29 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists. The Hawkeyes will travel to take on Purdue on January 10th at 7 pm.
The Iowa State women’s team will face off against BYU tonight at 5 pm in a road matchup.
The Iowa State men’s team will travel to Oklahoma tonight at 5 pm. Catch the game on KILJ AM 1130 or kilj.com.
The Iowa men’s team will compete against Rutgers at home today at 11 am.
This Day in Sports History
1681 – First recorded boxing match is engineered by Christopher Monck, 2nd Duke of Albemarle; his butler takes on his butcher and the butcher wins.
1980 – The Philadelphia Flyers set the longest unbeaten streak in North American sports history with 35 consecutive games without a loss.
1995 – Atlanta Hawks’ coach Lenny Wilkens passes the legendary Red Auerbach to become the NBA’s all-time winningest coach, with 939 career victories.