In the first doubleheader of the 2021-22 season for Pleasantville and Melcher-Dallas, it was the Trojans that came away with the sweep over the Saints in dominating fashion.

The Trojans’ girls shut out the Saints in the first quarter en route to a 65-12 victory. Pleasantville led after the first quarter 22-0 and scored the first 30 points of the game before Kasyn Reed broke the Melcher-Dallas scoring drought with a three. Three Trojans outscored Melcher-Dallas as a team. Malorie McKinney had 17 points and seven rebounds for Pleasantville. Joelle Johnson scored 16 off the bench and Azell Smith had 15, scoring 14 of her points in the first quarter. Kasyn Reed led Melcher-Dallas in scoring with five points. Pleasantville improves to 2-1 on the season, while Melcher-Dallas falls to 0-2. Trojans’ Coach Jeff Cook tells KNIA Sports that he is happy to see players like Joelle Johnson contribute at a high level.

“She (Joelle) plays a lot of basketball, which is one of the things that makes you a better basketball player. She’s been out on club teams and puts in the time and the effort and that is one of the things that is going to make you better.”

The Trojans’ boys used sharp shooting and tight defense to rout the Saints, 78-27. Pleasantville got off to a hot shooting start, putting in 49 points in the first half, including 27 in the second quarter. Mason Scheve picked up right where he left off last season, dropping 27 points and knocking down three three-pointers. In his first start of his career, Dayson Leerhoff had 12 points and seven boards. Owen Suntken led Melcher-Dallas in scoring, knocking in 15 points. Pleasantville starts out with a 1-0 record, while Melcher-Dallas begins the season 0-1.

Pleasantville’s girls will be back in action Thursday as they take a trip to Twin Cedars. Tip-off for the matchup is at 6:00 PM. Pleasantville’s boys will have an additional day off to prepare for West Central Conference play, as they will play at Earlham as part of a girls/boys doubleheader that will be broadcast on the KNIA3 stream at kniakrls.com. Melcher-Dallas will be back in action Thursday for a girls/boys doubleheader at Southeast Warren.