Turnovers doom South Bend Washington girls basketball in regional loss to Lake Central
LAPORTE — Steven Reynolds saw two things Saturday that he hadn’t seen in his 10 years leading the South Bend Washington girls basketball program.
Neither were good for his Panthers.
Twenty-seven turnovers and zero points scored in the first quarter cost Washington in a 54-38 loss to Lake Central in a Class 4A regional championship game at LaPorte High School.
More: Toughness, free throws help Bremen girls to first regional title since 1986
“I’ve been coaching 10 years and never seen us struggle like that, turnover-wise,” Reynolds said.
The Indians (24-4) led, 9-0, after the first quarter. It was the first time a Reynolds-led team had been held scoreless in the first period.
“It was a little deflating; things like that happen,” said Reynolds of the scoreless first quarter. “I guess the most disappointing thing for me is we prepared for those first four minutes, and we got out there and maybe the stage was a little too big for us.”
Lake Central’s lead reached 12-0 before Washington (19-5) started getting back into the game. It scored the next nine points, punctuated by an old-fashioned three-point play by junior Kira Reynolds. With 3:54 to go in the second quarter, the Panthers trailed, 12-9.
The Indians threw a strong counterpunch to end the half, going on an 11-1 surge to take a 23-10 lead at the break. Fifteen of the 27 turnovers for Washington happened in the first two quarters.
After going down 15 in the outset of the third, the Panthers went on its best run of the game. They wound up winning the third period by a 22-11 advantage, with junior Monique Mitchell drilling a 3 with three seconds left in the frame to make it a 34-32 ball game going into the fourth quarter.
More: 'Perfect ending.' Penn's Lily Christianson ends high school career with 6 state swim titles
“We were just trying to be gritty,” Reynolds said. “We didn’t have it tonight, so to get within two was, honestly, a blessing. When we got to the fourth quarter, (Lake Central) turned it on.”
Washington couldn’t sustain its run in the final frame. A four-point play from Indians senior Riley Milausnic ballooned the lead to six quickly, and Lake Central led the rest of the way. The Panthers only had three points in the quarter until a late 3 from Taliyah Alexander gave the game its final score.
“Hats off to (Lake Central coach Joe Huppenthal) – he put all 36 years of his experience into this scouting report,” Steven Reynolds said. “… They beat us up. They beat us, they were physical, they beat us to the ball. Our foul count was sky-high all night. They beat us.”
Boys basketball: Here are your Friday night high school basketball scores
It was a second-straight postseason loss for Washington at the hands of Lake Central. With the entire roster coming back next year, Reynolds is optimistic about the future of the program.
“We tried to beat the clock,” Steven Reynolds said. “We saw an opportunity out there, and we thought we could get further (in the tournament) even though some of them were in their first experience on the varsity team. What we do in between this February and next February will determine ultimately if we get back. We’ll probably end up playing (Lake Central) again. It’s become quite the rivalry.”
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Turnovers doom South Bend Washington girls basketball in regional loss to Lake Central
