It was not a happy home debut for the Washington Demon basketball teams last night, as both squads lost to Pella. In the girls’ game, Washington fell behind 15-4 at the end of the first quarter and could never cut into the margin from there, getting as close as nine but trailing by as much as 18 en route to a 51-41 loss. Senior Alex Murphy led the Demons with 8 points and freshman Leighton Messinger added seven, but it wasn’t enough to get Washington to 3-0 on the young season. The Demon ladies will try to bounce back when they visit Burlington Friday evening.

The boys’ game featured an unprecedented barrage of three-point shooting from Pella, which knocked down a whopping 12 triples in the first half and finished with 15 total in a 77-50 victory. Washington never had time to settle in, trailing 20-5 after a quarter of play. Senior Ethan Patterson would pace the Demons in scoring with 13 points, while Aden and Ajay Six finished with eight each. Washington falls to 1-2 ahead of a home conference showdown with Burlington Friday, which you can hear on 106.1 FM KCII.