The Washington Demon basketball teams will jump into action in the Southeast Conference tonight when they travel to take on Fairfield in a doubleheader you can hear on KCII. The Washington girls will be looking to build on an impressive win in their season opener, as the Demons hit nine three pointers and hit 15 of 19 free throws in a 62-19 victory at Anamosa last week. Freshmen Adalyn Long and Leighton Messinger took leading roles in their varsity debuts, with each player scoring in double figures and combining to pour in 24 points. But Washington head coach Shannon Rugg tells KCII Sports he believes his team is just getting started.
“We got some stuff that we have to prove to people,” Rugg says, “and we got to prove it to ourselves first. We know we’re a good basketball team, but we got to go out and prove to people this isn’t the Washington that’s been playing the last few years. We’re going to get after you and we’re going to compete, and that’s something that I’m super proud of.”
The Demons have not beaten Fairfield since 2014, but the Trojans are 0-2 to start this season. While the Washington girls will look to end a 16-game losing streak in their conference rivalry, the Demon boys are in the opposite situation. Washington has gotten the better of Fairfield recently, winning six straight meetings with the Trojans on their way to three straight conference championships. But, despite senior guard Ethan Patterson exploding for 33 points, the Demons lost their opener 76-71 in a double-overtime thriller Tuesday night in Albia. Washington head coach Collin Stark tells KCII Sports an inexperienced team has to prove they can continue the program’s winning ways in league play, especially when dealing with the new shot-clock era.
“I think the biggest focus this year is still being patient and being more precise with what we do on the offensive side,” Stark says, “because there is a limit to how long our possession can be. Working on rebounding can be a huge thing if you can get another 35 seconds.”
Washington looks to get a pair of big basketball wins at Fairfield this evening, and you can hear it on 106.1 FM KCII. Coverage begins with the Washington Hy-Vee Pregame Show at 5:30 ahead of the girls’ game at 6.