Basketball Recap: Evansville Reitz Comes Up Short

Evansville Reitz and Evansville Harrison squared off in some playoff action on Saturday, but Evansville Reitz had to settle for second. They took a 68-61 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Evansville Harrison Warriors. The Panthers were not able to repeat the success they had when they faced the Warriors earlier this season, when they won 61-54.

Jaylan Mitchell

Points

03/08/25 vs Evansville Harrison	24
03/07/25 vs Castle	22
03/01/25 vs St. Mary's	26

Despite the defeat, Evansville Reitz saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Jaylan Mitchell almost dropped a double-double with 24 points and nine boards. Mitchell's big performance that evening made it three games in a row in which he has scored at least 22 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Jayce Swanson, who shot 83% from the field on his way to 14 points and six rebounds.

Even though they lost, Evansville Reitz smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 12 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in four consecutive matchups.

Evansville Harrison got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Brooks Thomas out in front who went 8-for-10 en route to 23 points and eight boards. Thomas is on a roll when it comes to rebounds, as he's now pulled down eight or more in each of the last three games he's played. Another player making a difference was Shane Sims, who shot 50% from the field to rack up 16 points in addition to six assists and six boards.

Evansville Reitz's loss dropped their record down to 16-6. As for Evansville Harrison, the win (which was their sixth in a row) raised their record to 17-7.

Evansville Reitz does not have any more games scheduled as of now. As for Evansville Harrison, they will face off against Jeffersonville at 7:00 p.m. on March 15th. Jeffersonville knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with 55 points or more in their past eight contests -- so hopefully Evansville Harrison likes a good challenge.