South Bend Washington Miss Basketball candidate Amiyah Reynolds ruled out for rest of year
South Bend Washington girls basketball coach Steve Reynolds has called star guard Amiyah Reynolds the "best all-around player" in the Hoosier State.
Now, arguably Indiana's best team will be without one of their stars as they pursue a Class 4A state championship.
Coach Reynolds confirmed via text Saturday morning that his daughter will be out the rest of the postseason, this after the No. 1 Panthers pummeled South Bend Adams, 77-30, Friday night to advance to the sectional final Saturday at Plymouth.
Scores:Friday night high school basketball , Indiana girls sectional semifinals
Coach Reynolds said in a text message Saturday morning that an MRI Friday showed his daughter has torn ligaments in her left foot. He added that surgery is likely on the 6-0 senior guard, possibly next week. The senior Indiana All-Star lock and Miss Basketball candidate suffered a left foot injury in the regular-season finale win at LaLumiere last Saturday. She was on crutches and in a boot Tuesday night at the sectional opener and did not play again Friday night.
Coach Reynolds planned to share the update with his team at practice Saturday morning. He has seen several members of his nationally-ranked team miss games this season due to injuries, and said Friday night that the plan was already to prepare as if Amiyah would have to miss the rest of the postseason.
"Our mindset is that she will not be coming back," coach Reynolds stated by phone Friday night. "But we haven't been whole as a team all season with injuries to different players and we've found a way to continue to get it done as other players have stepped up for us. We did have two seniors with Amiyah and Rashunda and now we have just one with sophomores and freshmen."
Amiyah Reynolds, a Maryland recruit, is Washington's third leading scorer at 15.2 ppg. She also leads her team in assists at 6.3 per contest, while ranking second in rebounds at 8.1 and third in steals at 3.3. Reynolds, who has battled through injuries the past two seasons — including in the postseason last year — is just the second player in program history with 1,000 points and 500 assists in their career. The other is current WNBA star Skylar Diggins-Smith.
Washington, which won the Class 3A state title at 25-3 last year, is ranked in the top 10 nationally. The Panthers are considered the favorite to win the Class 4A crown this season. Washington's starting five have all committed or received offers to Division 1 college programs. All five of their starters, prior to the injury to Amiyah Reynolds, were averaging in double figures. That includes star senior guard Rashunda Jones, who will play at Purdue. Jones, the team's top scorer, is also a Miss Basketball candidate.
FRIDAY ROUNDUP
CLASS 4A at Plymouth
With Amiyah Reynolds out, Washington went into defensive mode Friday night, taking their second step toward earning another state championship.
Sparked by super sophomore Ryiah Wilson, the Panthers held Adams to just nine first half points en route to a dominating 77-30 semifinal victory.
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The Panthers, who claimed the Class 3A state title a year ago with a 28-3 mark, improved to 25-0 and will face host Plymouth (11-13) in Saturday night's final.
Washington, which beat Northern Indiana Conference foe Adams 88-33 during the regular season, led 28-7 after the opening frame. The Panthers then outscored the Eagles 24-2 in the second quarter to take complete control of the contest.
"To be honest, I was not happy after Tuesday night's game (an 85-51 win over Mishawaka in the sectional opener)," said Washington coach Steve Reynolds by phone following Friday's win. "Our energy was not right.
"We challenged the kids the two days after Tuesday night and they really stepped up tonight. Their energy was good and the defense that we are going to need going forward was there. I was really pleased with them. To see them do that with all that's been going on the past couple of days was amazing."
The Panthers got a huge game from Wilson as the stellar guard, known primarily for her tremendous defensive, fired in a game-high 24 points. Wilson, who leads the state in steals averaging 6.5 per game, scored 13 points in the opening period to set the tone.
"Ryiah was the catalyst for us tonight," Reynolds of Wilson, who had eight steals Tuesday night in the sectional opener win over Mishawaka.
Senior star Rashunda Jones finished with 18 points for the Panthers. The Purdue-bound guard, who ranks third in program history in points, tallied 11 points in the second period.
Sophomores Kira Reynolds and Monique Mitchell each finished with 12 points for Washington. Kira Reynolds, Amiyah's sister, turned in her second monster game of the sectional with a triple double — adding 10 rebounds and a staggering 13 blocked shots. The 6-3 forward, who averages a double-double on the season and ranks among the state's best in blocked shots, had 12 points, 15 rebounds and 10 blocked shots in the sectional opener.
Jayne Kelly led the way for Adams with 10 points. Lois Carr scored six points for coach Dawn Huff's Eagles, who closed the season at 11-12.
Plymouth 62, Michigan City 27
Plymouth cruised past Michigan City, 62-27, in the second semifinal game Friday night to earn its first date with Washington of the season
The hosts led 18-8 after the opening period and 38-15 at halftime.
Star Taylor Delp tossed in 18 points to pace Plymouth, which beat the Wolves 65-33 during the regular season. Sophie Miller had 12 points and Alana Allen 10 for the Pilgrims, who moved to 11-13.
Amira Ware led City, which finishes at 10-13, with 10 points.
CLASS 4A at Concord
Northridge 54, Goshen 42
The Raiders closed the game with a 14-6 fourth quarter effort to turn back their Northern Lakes Conference foe Goshen. Northridge, now 21-5, led 40-36 entering the final period.
The Raiders, who beat Goshen 71-32 during the regular season, got 15 points from Savannah Boerema. Sabrina Miller scored 11 points for the winners, while top scorer Eva Fisher was held to just three points.
Senior star Fisher, who averages almost 15 points a game, went over 1,000 points Tuesday night as Northridge sidelined Penn in the sectional opener. Kyra Hill had 22 points and Tyra Marcum 14 for Goshen, which finishes at 12-11.
Elkhart 55, Warsaw 53
The Lions proved to be too stout for the Tigers in a closely-contested matchup. Sisters Samiyah (16 points) and Shaniyah Stout (11 points) totaled 27 points to pace Elkhart, which improved to 14-9.
Coach Will Coatie's team avenged a 58-55 loss to Warsaw in the regular-season finale. Jaya Johnson also had a big night with 16 points for the winners. Elkhart led 28-27 at halftime and 43-41 entering the final quarter.
The Lions hit 9-of-16 free throws and outrebounded the Tigers by 13, led by Shaniyah Hughes and Shaniyah Stout. Jocelyn Bricker had 17 points and Abbey Peterson 14 for Warsaw, which finishes at 18-6.
CLASS 3A at Fairfield
Fairfield 55, West Noble 20
The No. 7 and defending sectional champion Falcons rolled to the semifinal win. Fairfield led 23-0 after the opening period and 42-2 at halftime in a dominating display.
Morgan Gawthrop had 17 points and Brea Garber 14 to lead the winners. The Falcons, who lost in the Class 2A semistate last year, improved to 23-2. West Noble, which lost 76-16 to Fairfield in the regular season, finished 3-20.
Lakeland 41, NorthWood 39
Peyton Hartsough had 18 points and Olivia Oman 15 as the Lakers earned the close win. The Lakers, now 13-10, led 20-16 at halftime and 29-28 after the third stanza after trailing 12-9 after the opening period. Claire Payne led NorthWood with 13 points. Karis Bennett and Aaniyah Bonner each had eight for the Panthers, who finish at 14-11.
CLASS 3A at Bremen
Glenn 39, Knox 30
The Falcons shook off a slow start to advance. Glenn trailed 12-4 after the opening period before holding Knox scoreless in the second stanza. The Falcons still trailed 12-9 at halftime before taking a 20-18 lead at the end of the third period.
Dani Devine had 13 points and Kennedy Hayden 10 to lead Glenn, which beat Knox 52-40 during the season. Glenn improved to 10-14. Morgan Downs led Knox, which finished 5-20, with 12 points.
Tippecanoe Valley 56, Bremen 33
The Vikings rolled to their 20th win of the season. Valley led 22-2 after the opening period and never looked back in the contest. Senior Kaydence Mellott scored 20 points, including going 14-of-17 at the free throw line, to pace Valley. Coach Chris Kindig's squad, which beat Bremen 68-32 during the season, moved to 20-3. Mikayla Shively had 12 points to pace Bremen. Katie Moyer and Eliana Grubbs each had seven points for the Lions, who close out at 8-15.
CLASS 2A at North Judson
South Central 70, SB Career Academy 11
Olivia Marks led the winners with 17 points. Hope Welsh had 13 points and Lillian Tolmen 12 for the Satellites, now 22-3. Adreania Hyde had seven points to lead South Bend Career Academy, which finishes at 6-16.
LaVille 45, Wheeler 23
A magical season continued for LaVille, now 19-6 under first year coach Nick Amor. The Lancers used an 18-0 run in the opening half, sparked by Heaylyn Kwiatkowski, to roll into the sectional final. Kwiatkowski scored 16 points to lead the Lancers, who will look for their first sectional title in 20 years. Brooke Edison had 10 points for the winners. Wheeler finished at 4-18.
CLASS 1A at Culver
Triton 45, MC Marquette Catholic 30
Addyson Viers led the winners with 17 points and 20 rebounds. Kinsey Atkins and Sierra Hawley each had nine points for the Trojans. Xaria Biggerstaff scored 12 points and Jiselle Chabers 10 to lead Marquette.
Argos 48, Westville 45
Samantha Redinger poured in 22 points as the Dragons earned the win. Emma Dunlap added 12 points for Argos, which improved to 12-12. Bonefield led Westville, which finishes at 11-11, with 19 points.
CLASS 1A at FW Blackhawk Christian
Bethany Christian 33, FW Blackhawk Christian 32
Zoe Willems played the postseason hero's role to perfection for the No. 7 Bruins. The Bethany standout tallied a three-point play on a layup and free throw as time expired to give her team the thrilling win.
Willems led the way with 16 points as the Bruins outscored the hosts 10-4 in the final quarter for the win. Bethany, which beat Blackhawk 42-26 during the season, advances at 20-3 and will play Lakewood Park Christian, 47-30 winners Friday over Elkhart Christian.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: IHSAA high school girls basketball sectional roundup
