Preview: Jimtown Jimmies vs. South Bend Washington Panthers
Jimtown is 0-8 against South Bend Washington since December of 2015 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The Jimtown Jimmies will be playing at home against the South Bend Washington Panthers at 7:30 p.m. Jimtown will have to bring their A-game into this one, as they are staring down a pretty big deficit in the MaxPreps Indiana Rankings (they are ranked 229th, while South Bend Washington is ranked 30th).
Jimtown's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Tuesday after their third straight loss. They fell just short of Goshen by a score of 41-39. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest loss Jimtown has suffered yet this season.
Justyce Williams put forth a good effort for the losing side as she scored 21 points along with three steals. She hasn't dropped below two steals for six straight games. The team also got some help courtesy of Natalie Butler, who scored 12 points.
Meanwhile, South Bend Washington stacked a tenth blowout win onto their ever-increasing hoard on Thursday. They took their match at home with ease, bagging a 69-27 victory over South Bend Adams. The victory was just what South Bend Washington needed coming off of a 75-52 defeat in their prior game.
South Bend Washington can attribute much of their success to Ryiah Wilson, who scored 20 points along with eight steals, and Kira Reynolds, who dropped a triple-double on 17 points, 11 rebounds, and 12 blocks. Wilson is on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed two or more in the last 15 games she's played. Another player making a difference was Makyla McNeal, who scored 11 points along with nine rebounds.
Jimtown has not been sharp recently, as they've lost six of their last seven games, which put a noticeable dent in their 8-12 record this season. As for South Bend Washington, their victory bumped their record up to 14-4.
Friday's match is shaping up to be a scrappy matchup: Jimtown have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 27.4 rebounds per game. It's a different story for South Bend Washington, though, as they've been averaging only 31.2 rebounds per game. Given Jimtown's sizeable advantage in that area, South Bend Washington will need to find a way to close that gap.
Jimtown was dealt a bruising 63-33 loss at the hands of South Bend Washington in their previous meeting back in January of 2023. Thankfully for Jimtown, Rashunda Jones (who scored 19 points along with six rebounds and three steals) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
