SOUTH BEND — There’s no shortage of confidence from either South Bend Washington‘s Steve Reynolds or Garrett‘s Bob Lapadot.
Why should there be?
Both coaches believe their respective team has what it takes to win a semistate championship come Saturday.
The No. 1 Panthers and the No. 2 Railroaders clash in the Class 3A North Semistate at 4 p.m. EST at LaPorte. The winner punches their ticket to the Class 3A state championship contest on Feb. 26 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
► Girls basketball: Ryiah Wilson is a defensive force for Washington heading into semistate
► IHSAA: South Bend Washington takes another step towards state with regional title
Washington, state runner-up a year ago, sits at 25-3 and ranked No. 22 nationally by ESPN.
Garrett boasts a 27-1 mark and has won 25 in a row since a 79-57 loss to Class 4A No. 5 Noblesville Nov. 13. Noblesville, ranked No. 21 nationally, plays defending state champion Crown Point Saturday in the Class 4A North Semistate game at Logansport.
“I’m extremely confident in who we are and how we are playing right now,” said Reynolds, in his eighth season as Washington’s coach. “I could not say that back in November or December.
“We’ve played with the targets on our back all season. We’ve also figured out how to pull out wins when we’re not at our best. We always seem to have someone step up for us. Our kids just have a knack for getting it done.”
Lapadot, whose team lost in the sectional final a year ago, thinks his veteran team has the right stuff to pull off an upset.
“We expected to be here and we expect to be in Indy,” said Lapadot, in his 11th season at Garrett. “Our girls put in the work and the time since last season and now they are earning the rewards.
“This team is focused. We’re an older team and they believe that we are supposed to be here. We went out after last season and toughened up our schedule in both the summer and this season.”
Washington has been a juggernaut in the tournament, boasting a winning margin of 41 ppg. in its five wins. The Panthers are only allowing 28 ppg. in the tournament, outscoring their foes 97-12 in the first quarter.
“We’ve become the Mike Tyson of Indiana girls basketball,” Reynolds said. “We’re going for the knockout early in games. That’s who we have become in the postseason.”
The athletic, tall and talented Panthers are led by Mila Reynolds. The 6-3 senior and Maryland commit averages 21 ppg. Reynolds, a strong Miss Basketball candidate, is 27 rebounds away from becoming the 11th girls player in state history with 2,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds.
The oldest of coach Reynolds three daughters on the Panthers, Mila has 2,066 career points and is just the second player in St. Joseph County history to score more than 2,000 points. The other is former Washington star and current WNBA standout Skylar Diggins-Smith, who led Washington to four state finals appearances from 2006-09.
Washington has plenty of firepower in its nine player roster. Junior guard Rashunda Jones, who has committed to Purdue, averages 11 ppg, while 6-3 freshman Kira Reynolds is at 10 ppg and leads her team in rebounds and blocked shots.
Junior point guard Amiyah Reynolds, also committed to Maryland, averages nine points and five assists. The Panthers are rounded out by key seniors Shamarah Allen and Lauren Gillon and freshmen Ryiah Wilson, Monique Mitchell and Jamiyah Parhams.
Who are the Railroaders?
Garrett boasts a veteran group that relies on defense with a trio of seniors with four years of varsity experience. The Railroaders are allowing just 33 ppg. this season.
“What makes this team special is the way they care about playing defense,” Lapadot said. “They play as a team and all five of them have bought in to what we want to do.”
Washington rolled to a pair of blowout wins last weekend to win the Jimtown Regional with routs over Culver Academy 60-30 and Griffith 64-25. Garrett outlasted No. 8 Hamilton Heights, 50-48, in double overtime and then rallied to beat No. 2 Benton Central, 41-39, at Bellmont.
Reynolds respects the Railroaders, who went 10-0 to win the Northeast Corner Conference title.
“They give consistent, relentless effort,” Reynolds said of Garrett. “They are an older team that is well coached. Basketball is all about matchups. That’s what it comes down to on Saturday.”
Garrett is led by junior standout Bailey Kelham. The 5-10 guard averages 16 ppg. and had 28 in the two regional wins. She went over 1,000 points earlier this season.
Seniors Morgan Ostrowski, Nataley Armstrong and Faith Owens are also big keys. Ostrowski, a 6-1 forward who will play volleyball at IUPUI, averages 11 points and eight rebounds. Point guard Armstrong had 25 points in the regional and averages 8.8 assists per game. Owens is the team’s top shooter with 167 career 3-pointers.
“We have to stay confident, get off to a solid start and make sure we show them it’s going to be a game,” Lapadot said. “We can’t let down and relax at all for 32 minutes and we have to take advantage of every situation.
“We have to take care of the ball and we have to rebound. Washington’s length and athleticism is what sets them apart. We have to handle the ball, be strong with it and attack.”
Washington beat Norwell 61-40 in the semistate a year ago at LaPorte. The Panthers then lost to Silver Creek 54-48 for at state.
The winner of Saturday’s contest will face either No. 4 Silver Creek (25-2) or Indianapolis Chatard (18-10) in the Class 3A state title game Feb. 26 at 6 p.m.. They play at 3 p.m. Saturday in the South Semistate at Jeffersonville.
“We’ve faced the kind of competition we needed this season and we’re familiar with the atmosphere for Saturday,” said Reynolds, whose team went 10-0 to win the NIC championship. “All of that does help us and we’re excited about this experience.
“And our kids are hungry. They want to get back to Indy and win a state title.”
Falcons look for semistate win
Fairfield look to make history Saturday by earning their first-ever State Finals appearance.
The No. 4 Falcons (24-3) face No. 11 Frankton (22-5) in the Class 2A North Semistate game at LaPorte at 1 p.m. EST.
Under the leadership of former Fairfield star player Brodie Garber, the Falcons won the program’s second regional title last weekend. Junior star Brea Garber scored 35 points as the Falcons beat Eastside 54-42 and No. 14 Andrean 40-22.
Brea Garber, the coach’s daughter, averages 15 ppg. Junior Bailey Willard averages almost 10 ppg. while junior Morgan Gawthrop and sophomore Kaylee Dillon each average six.
Fairfield, located southeast of Goshen, relies on a gritty defense and has won its last 10 games while allowing just 37 ppg on the season.
The Falcons have thrived despite the loss of senior point guard Brooke Sanchez, who was sidelined in December by a knee injury.
Frankton, which was in the semistate in 2020, is led by senior guard Lauryn Bates (12 ppg.) and 5-11 sophomore Emma Sperry (10 ppg).
The winner advances to play either No. 6 University (23-4) or No. 8 Forest Park (24-3) in the Class 2A state title game Feb. 26 at 12:45 p.m. in Indianapolis. University plays Forest Park Saturday at 4 p.m. in the South Semistate at Jasper.
Semistate pairings
All times EST
At LaPorte
Class 2A | No. 4 Fairfield (24-3) vs. No. 11 Frankton (22-5) | 1 p.m.
Class 3A | No. 1 South Bend Washington (25-3) vs. No. 2 Garrett (27-1) | 4 p.m.
At Logansport
Class A | No. 8 North White (20-6) vs. No. 3 Lafayette Central Catholic (23-4) | 4 p.m.
Class 4A | No. 4 Crown Point (24-3) vs. No. 5 Noblesville (23-4) | 7 p.m.
At Jasper
Class 2A | No. 6 University (23-4) vs. No. 8 Forest Park (24-3) | 4 p.m.
Class 4A | Mooresville (19-8) vs. No. 2 Franklin Community (27-1) | 6:30 p.m.
At Jeffersonville
Class A | No. 1 Waldron (24-1) vs. No. 7 Tecumseh (18-8) | 1 p.m.
Class 3A | Indianapolis Bishop Chatard (18-10) vs. No. 4 Silver Creek (25-2) | 3 p.m.