South Bend Washington girls basketball IHSAA regional dreams dashed by Warsaw

Posted by author February 16, 2025 Basketball

Spread the love

LAPORTE ― South Bend Washington started building some momentum.

The Panthers had narrowed its nine-point halftime deficit to four midway through the third quarter. They had the ball with a chance to make it a one-possession game.

An ensuing ‘3’ attempt rimmed in and out. Less than 45 seconds after that, Warsaw had a 10-point lead.

That proved to be a game-sealing sequence, as the No. 4 Panthers dropped a 53-43 decision to the No. 5 Tigers in an IHSAA Class 4A girls basketball regional championship contest at LaPorte High School. The closest the Panthers reached in the final 10 minutes was seven points.

“Every mistake we made, Warsaw capitalized on,” Washington coach Steve Reynolds said. “Outside of missing the opportunities we had to make easy shots — when we made the mistake, they made us pay almost every time. It was unbelievable how keen they were to when we made even small mistakes.”

Early foul trouble hurts Washington

Washington (24-2) scored the first four points of the game. That would be the only time they led, as the Tigers (24-1) ripped off an 11-0 run from 6:20 left in the first quarter to 6:34 left in the second.

A key element of that run was Panthers senior Kira Reynolds getting into foul trouble. The 6’3” Purdue commit was called for two offensive fouls in the first frame. She would eventually pick up a third foul with 2:15 remaining in the first half.

Warsaw led, 23-14, at the break.

“She does everything for us,” said Steve Reynolds of Kira. “She’s our anchor. If you don’t have your anchor down, the ship kind of just takes off wherever it wants. Even during that time, our kids still stepped up.”

Warsaw coach Lenny Krebs credited senior Brooke Winchester for putting her body on the line in the first half.

“Winchester just has a knack for being in the right place at the right time to take charges,” Krebs said. “Offensively, that allowed us to do more things.”

Two stars lead Warsaw girls basketball

The stat stuffers for the Tigers Saturday were Winchester and junior Joslyn Bricker. The latter had 19 points and 12 rebounds, while the former finished with 16 points and seven rebounds. They hit five of six free throws in the final 90 seconds to ice the game for their team.

The Tigers’ lead reached as many as 15 late in the third quarter.

It’s the first regional title since 2013 for the Warsaw program. It’s the first for Krebs as a coach, who had not even won a sectional championship in his 22-year career before last week.

“I don’t know what to compare this to,” Krebs joked. “It honestly hasn’t sunk in yet. It will sink in when we get to practice on Monday, and we have another week of practice. Obviously, it’s very rewarding right now, standing here and watching these young ladies.”

End of an era for Washington girls basketball

Saturday’s loss felt like the conclusion of a five-year era for the Panthers program. Washington has been one of the state’s best, finishing Class 3A runner-up in 2021, 3A state champions in 2022, 4A regional champs in 2023 and back-to-back 4A sectional titles in 2024 and 2025.

Three Division-I commits saw their high school careers come to an end. Kira Reynolds finished with six points, seven rebounds, four assists and four blocks. Monique Mitchell (committed to Akron) had eight points, nine rebounds and three blocks. And Ryiah Wilson (Winthrop) finished with a game-high 21 points, along with four steals and three rebounds.

Washington also graduates seniors Makyla McNeal, Ayanna Nicholson and Taliyah Alexander. All six were part of the eight total players that saw the floor for the Panthers Saturday.

“It’s been really difficult, honestly,” Steve Reynolds said. “We’ve been through a lot. Our kids are going through a lot of stuff; just a lot of stuff both on and off the court. There’s a lot of stories in that locker room. But through that, we managed to be one of the winningest 4A programs in the state over the last four years, even with our little enrollment.

“As a coach, a mentor and a father figure to some, what’s probably the most heartbreaking is that you’re not going to be able to spend every day with them anymore.”

Follow Austin Hough on X (formerly Twitter) @AustinRHough and on Facebook at “Austin Hough – South Bend Tribune.” Hough can be emailed at ahough@gannett.com.