Nothing is sweeter than beating your rivals. The Washington Demons found that out last Friday night, as they took down the Mount Pleasant Panthers in a Southeast Conference sweep.

It was all Washington from the opening tip in the girls’ game. The Demons used a 26-0 run in the first half to take a 27-1 lead into the locker rooms. Washington would only give up a single field goal to the Panthers through three quarters of play, as they stretched the lead past running clock territory at 49-4 headed into the final frame. Even though Mount Pleasant would outscore Washington in the fourth, the gap was insurmountable, as the Demons prevailed with a rivalry victory on the road 57-17.

Unofficially, Washington outrebounded Mount Pleasant 26-12, and won the turnover battle by 10. In a game where eight Demons would crack the scoreboard, junior Adalyn Long would top all Washington scorers with 13, followed by Oaklee Sobaski’s 12 and Reagan Miller’s 11. The Panthers were led by Paityn Ensminger and Abigail Shelangoski with 5 apiece.

Washington’s leader on the night, Adalyn Long, joined KCII Sports on the postgame show following her team’s overwhelming rivalry victory over the Panthers. “Our defense was really good tonight, and when our offense works it’s just even better,” Long said.

Demon girls Head Coach Shannon Rugg also spoke with KCII Sports to recap the win. “We played extremely hard, and our bench was in on it and had a lot of fun. Just super proud of the girls. I thought they played outstanding,” Rugg said.

The boys’ game unfolded in a way the Demons are accustomed to this season. Washington had to battle back from an early deficit in a tough, physical contest that went all four quarters. The Panthers would grab the early lead at 12-8 after the first frame, and kept their four-point lead at the half 27-23. However, the tide began to turn for the Demons in the third period, as juniors Kael Williams and Rajan Roth, along with senior Logan McDole started to catch fire. Washington would erase the four-point gap headed into the final eight minutes tied at 40, and would prevail by a final of 61-50 by getting key stops on the defensive end along with making nine of their 11 fourth quarter free throws.

Unofficially, Washington won the turnover battle by three, but did get outrebounded by five. Leading the Demons was McDole with 19, followed by Roth’s 15 and Williams’ 10. Aiden Humble hit five three point shots for the Panthers, and ended up leading Mount Pleasant with 16.

Washington boys Head Coach Collin Stark chatted with KCII Sports after his team’s key conference victory. “We’ve got to steal some of the conference games on the road, and I thought this was kind of that grind-it-out basketball game. Very physical. Glad to get out on top,” Stark said.

With their wins, the Demon girls improve to 3-5 overall and 2-1 in the Southeast Conference, while the Demon boys keep their first place standing in the Southeast Conference alive at 3-0 and move above .500 on the season at 4-3 overall. Both Washington squads will return in 2025 after the holiday break.