Basketball Recap: Evansville Reitz Takes a Loss

Evansville Reitz has been a dominant force so far, but they're in the middle of a mini-slump at the moment. They were dealt a 60-32 defeat at the hands of the Evansville Central Bears on Wednesday. The contest marked the Panthers' lowest-scoring game so far this season.

Brilyn Staley and Bailey Hape certainly did their best on Wednesday to avoid the loss. Staley posted eight points, while Hape put up nine points. What's more, Hape also racked up two blocks, the most she's had since back in November of 2023.

Evansville Central's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Madalynn Shirley, who went 8 of 14 on her way to 22 points and eight rebounds. Shirley has been hot recently, having posted eight or more rebounds the last three times she's played. Olivya Hile was another key player, going 8 of 12 on her way to 19 points.

Evansville Reitz's loss was their first in the conference, dropping their conference record down to 5-1 and their overall record down to 9-2. As for Evansville Central, the victory was the third in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 9-3.

Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Evansville Reitz and Mt. Carmel will compete for holiday cheer at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday. Both teams are headed into the matchup with plenty of momentum (Mt. Carmel has won four straight at home, while Evansville Reitz won five straight on the road dating back to last season), something that'll have to change. Evansville Central will take on Tecumseh in a holiday battle at at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday.