Washington, Pirates see victory over Raiders as springboard to better days ahead

HANNIBAL, Mo. — Darrion Washington wants to be a part of the team that changes the basketball culture at Hannibal.

A diminutive point guard who is listed at 5-foot-8 stood the tallest Saturday night.

Washington scored a game-high 25 points to lead Hannibal to a 58-55 victory over previously unbeaten Quincy Notre Dame before a crowd of about 425 at Korf Gym.

The victory was Hannibal’s first on its home floor over QND since 2014.

Hannibal, now 2-5, entered the game with its only prior victory coming against a junior varsity team in an early season tournament at Winfield. But the Pirates scored six of the final nine points against QND to end a three-game losing streak against the Raiders.

An off-balance 3-point try from the top of the key by Notre Dame’s Beau Eftink failed to find its mark on the game’s final play, capping the back-and-forth game that saw the Raiders drop to 5-1. The loss denied QND its first 6-0 start since the 2016-17 season. 

Afterward, Washington talked about wanting to help build a new kind of tradition at Hannibal. The Pirates, whose last winning season was six years ago, are coming off back-to-back 18-loss campaigns.

Washington realizes the task at hand is daunting, at least on paper, but emphasized the importance of a victory like this.

“This victory over Notre Dame, which we also consider a rival, is a big win for Hannibal,” Washington said. “We want to change things.”

At the forefront of that change will likely be Washington, only a sophomore who tormented QND much of the game. Washington not only cashed in five 3-point field goals, but each and every one of his drives to the basket was determined.

“I felt like every shot had rhythm,” he said. “I was pretty happy with my performance.”

Washington scored 12 of his points in the fourth quarter.

“Darrion was fearless out there,” first-year Hannibal coach Josh Pickett said. “I don’t really think he yet realizes just how good he can be.”

Pickett feels Hannibal is just now catching up with most of its opponents. He reminded the Pirates had a number of players who missed most of training camp because they were part of the school’s successful soccer and football teams that were not eliminated from their postseasons until mid-November.  

“After this win, we now know we can beat a good team,” Pickett said. “This game was huge. We talked a lot about bringing the energy, and I think we did.”

Pickett also lauded the work of 6-foot-2 senior Clayton Neisen, who scored 17 points and produced a team-leading nine rebounds.

“He is such an underrated big for us,” Pickett said.

Neisen was the most reliable inside presence for the Pirates, who were outrebounded 35-24. Neisen, however, had at least two rebounds in every quarter and held his own against the likes of Notre Dame’s Carter Miller (12 rebounds), Gavin Doellman (7) Jace Allensworth (6) and Jackson Connoyer (6).

QND’s average margin of victory over its first five games had been 21.6 points, but first-year coach Greg Altmix did not feel his club entered the game taking another victory for granted.

“I don’t think we were overconfident or overlooking Hannibal,” Altmix said. “We were just inconsistent in a lot of areas. We have to understand (what was lacking), and improve on that.”

Altmix, who also felt the Raiders had “some defensive lapses” and were outmuscled at times around the basket, said the coming week of practice will devote more attention to “specific things” rather than a more general approach it had been using early in the season.

“We’re now six games into (the schedule),” he said. “It’s time.”

Allensworth’s 20-point, 6-rebound performance and Miller’s 15-point, 12-rebound outing paced QND. Eftink added 11 points.

Allensworth scored 11 of his points in the second half, including eight in the fourth quarter.

“Jace really solidified us,” Altmix said.

Both schools hit the road Tuesday night. Hannibal is back in action at Moberly (4-2), while QND journeys to Palmyra (5-1).