Roundup: South Bend Washington survives slow start with star Amiyah Reynolds on the bench

PLYMOUTH — The 4A No. 1 South Bend Washington girls basketball team overcame a slow start and the absence of its Miss Basketball candidate Amiyah Reynolds Tuesday night to cruise past Mishawaka, 85-51, to open the Plymouth Sectional.

The undefeated Panthers (24-0), struggled in the first half — by their standards — without their team captain who was quietly injured in Saturday's regular-season finale at La Lumiere as the Cavemen stayed within striking distance at halftime, 39-25.

Reynolds, Washington's third-leading scorer, showed up at Plymouth High School on crutches and wearing a boot brace on her lower left leg. She was not in uniform.

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Washington head coach, Steve Reynolds, Amiyah's father, said the team is waiting on MRI results, but doctors have declared there is no break. Reynolds said he expects his daughter to return at some point during Washington's tournament run. The Panthers are favorites to advance to the IHSAA state finals in Indianapolis for the third-straight season.

"We are a different team when she doesn't play," Steve Reynolds said. "She is our best player. She is the best all-around player in the state, so people make adjustments when you lose that because she affects so many things, the biggest being her ability to organize and lead and we didn't have it tonight."

Zion Belcher-Arill stepped into Washington's starting lineup in place of Reynolds, scoring 11 points. She was joined by Monique Mitchell (21), Rashunda Jones (20), Ryiah Wilson (14) and Kira Reynolds (12) in double figures.

The Panthers began the third quarter by outscoring Mishawaka 28-12 to take full control of the game. Washington (24-0) will face South Bend Adams (11-11) Friday in the sectional semifinals. Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m. That game will be followed by Wednesday's winners from LaPorte (0-20) vs. Michigan City (7-12) and South Bend Riley (3-18) vs. Plymouth (8-12).

"They were playing more physical and aggressive than us," Jones said of Washington's second-half adjustments. "We just had to fight fire with fire."

The Cavemen finish 11-12. Jadyn Handley paced Mishawaka with 17 points followed by Asiah Shaffer with 11 and Kathryn Baumgartner with 10.

"The three seniors have been a big part of the change from when I took over," said Cavemen coach Chadd Blasko. "They came out here, learned how to compete and played hard. I can't fault their effort. They competed with the best in the state for two quarters and unfortunately we ran out of steam."

CLASS 3A

At Bremen

∎ John Glenn 35, Culver Academy 27: Kennedy Hayden scored 12 points and Lucy Hayden had six to pace Glenn to the win. The Falcons outscored Culver Academy 15-7 in the fourth quarter and hit 16-22 free throws in the win. Glenn (9-14) advances to Friday's sectional semifinal against Knox (5-19). The winner will play either Tippecanoe Valley (19-3) or Bremen (8-14) in Saturday's sectional championship

∎ Bremen 34, Rochester 21: Katie Moyer netted 14 points to pace the win for the Lions. Kila Foster had eight points for Bremen, which led 14-7 at halftime. Bremen (8-14) advances to play Tippecanoe Valley (19-3) in Friday's sectional semifinal. The winner will play either John Glenn (9-14) or Knox (5-19) in Saturday's sectional championship.

At Fairfield

∎ NorthWood 50, Wawasee 42: Karis Bennett and Aaniyah Bonner each scored 13 points for NorthWood. Claire Payne had 12 points and 19 rebounds for the winners. Olivia Horn had 14 points and Kaydence Shepherd 12 to lead Wawasee. The Panthers (14-10) advance to Friday's sectional semifinal against Lakeland (12-10). The other semifinal puts Fairfield (22-2) against West Noble (3-19) with the two winners facing in Saturday's sectional championship game.

CLASS 2A

At North Judson

∎ South Central (Union Mills) 62, Hebron 25: South Central (21-3) advances to play South Bend Career Academy (6-15) in Friday's sectional semifinal. LaVille (17-6) plays Wheeler in the other semifinal with two winners advancing to Saturday's championship game.

LaVille 56, North Judson 43: The Lancers closed the game with a flurry to knock off the hosts. LaVille held North Judson scoreless the final 3:12 of the contest to earn the win. The Lancers, who had lost 31-23 to North Judson during the regular season, used a 12-0 run to take the lead for good in the final frame. Senior Heaylyn Kwiatkowski poured in 22 points to lead the Lancers to the win. The duo of sophomores Brooke Edison and Mikalah Kuskye each had 13 points for LaVille. LaVille, which hit 7-12 free throws in the final frame, advances to the sectional semifinals for the first time since 2013.

CLASS 1A

At Culver

∎ Marquette Catholic 67, Oregon-Davis 49: Marquette Catholic (14-8) advances to play Triton (14-8) in Friday's sectional semifinal.

At Fort Wayne Blackhawk

∎ Lakewood Park 49, Hamilton 13: Lakewood Park (9-13) advances to play Elkhart Christian (6-13) in Friday's sectional semifinal. Fort Wayne Blackhawk (13-10) plays Bethany Christian (19-3) in the other semifinal matchup with winners advancing to Saturday's sectional championship.

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: No Reynolds, no problem: Washington girls hoops advances despite missing star PG