The South Bend Washington Panthers pushed their score all the way to 57 on Saturday, but even that wasn't enough to win. They took a 66-57 hit to the loss column at the hands of Valparaiso. While losing is never fun, South Bend Washington can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Indiana basketball rankings (they are ranked 115th, while Valparaiso is ranked 28th).
South Bend Washington lost despite a true team effort on the offense, the best among them being Steven Reynolds 3, who scored 21 points along with eight rebounds and five steals. Reynolds 3 hasn't dropped below 15points for five straight games. Donovan Johnson was another key contributor, scoring 14 points along with two steals and two blocks.
South Bend Washington has been struggling recently, as they've lost five of their last six matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 7-6 record this season. As for Valparaiso, their win was their seventh straight at home, which pushed their record up to 12-5.
South Bend Washington will take on Mishawaka Marian at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. As for Valparaiso, they will head out on the road to challenge Merrillville at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Merrillville has been dominant on offense recently, as they've racked up an incredible 856 points over their last 13 contests.
