NorthWood claimed its second straight sectional title Saturday night. The No. 7 Panthers beat Wawasee 53-48 in the finale of the Class 3-A West Noble Sectional.
LIGONIER – Wawasee’s Gage Reinhard proved one final time Saturday night just how much heart he has.
NorthWood proved in the end that they were the best team in the sectional field yet again.
The No. 7 Panthers held off a hard-charging Warrior squad in a sectional finale full of heart on both sides.
NorthWood topped Wawasee 53-48 in a tough title tilt of the Class 3-A West Noble Sectional in front of almost a packed gym.
The Panthers, now 22-2, advance to play Columbia City (19-7) in the second semifinal game of the Blackford Regional next Saturday at noon. Columbia City beat Norwell 47-40 Saturday night to win its own sectional title. Fort Wayne Dwenger will play Hamlton Heights in the regional opener at Blackford at 10 a.m. The regional final is set for 8 p.m.
Dakiyron Fox led NorthWood with 19 points.
NorthWood claimed the sixth sectional crown in program history and its second straight.
Wawasee, which had lost 64-51 at NorthWood back on Jan. 9, finishes at 13-12.
NorthWood led 41-29 entering the final quarter before Reinhard almost willed his team to the win. The senior left the game with 7:45 to play after his injured shoulder, which he hurt during football season, popped out of place. He returned to the game just three seconds later after a quick trip to have the shoulder popped back into place.
Reinhard, who had 31 points Friday night in a 50-39 semifinal win over Tippecanoe Valley, then led 14-5 Warrior run. Wawasee cut the Panther lead to just 46-43 on a Reinhard triple with 1:45 to play. NorthWood held on down the stretch though by scoring their final seven points from the free throw line.
The Warriors got within 51-48 on another Reinhard trey, the team’s fifth of the fourth quarter, with 21.2 seconds to play. junior Dakiyron Fox then hit 1-2 free throws with 14.5 seconds to play and sophomore Vinny Miranda hit 1-2 free throws with 10.3 ticks left to seal the championship for the Panthers.
“It was a hard-fought game where both teams competed,” said NorthWood coach Aaron Wolfe. “We were fortunate to come away with the win. I didn’t know I could hold my breath that long at the end. I did not exhale many times. Wawasee just kept coming.
“Braxton (Linville) and Vinny (Miranda) were able to spread the floor late and finish it out for us. Braxton is a special player. He’s our centerpiece. He was the one player back this year for us with marked experience from last season.”
Gutsy Gage Reinhard scored 21 points for the Warriors.
NorthWood led 14-9 after the opening period thanks to an 11-2 run after Wawasee was up 7-3 early on. The Panthers led 25-20 at halftime as Fox bulldozed his way inside for 11 points in the paint.
The Panthers outscored the Warriors 16-9 in he pivotal third period. Miranda led the charge with nine points in the key frame.
“I just thought that in the first half we were not finishing,” noted Wolfe. “I was hoping for a stretch where we made some shots consecutively and we did that in the third and they missed a few.”
Wawasee won six of its final eight games to go from 4-17 last year to 13-12 this season.
“We put on the board to believe and never give up and our guys did just that tonight,” said Wawasee coach Steve Wiktorowski. “That’s been characteristic of this team, especially our seniors, all year. They have played above their level due to their effort.
“Our run in the fourth quarter did not surprise me. We knew we had to hit shots tonight and we did not hit quite enough. We had trouble finishing in that third quarter and that put us in a hole.
“There is nobody with more heart than Gage and no one more unselfish than he is. He’s one of the smartest players I’ve ever coached and a very good leader. But, we are far from a one-man team. I’m really proud of this team as a whole. Guys accepted their roles this year and really improved.”
Wolfe also praised the toughness of Reinhard, one of six seniors for the Warriors.
“I can’t say enough about Gage,” remarked Wolfe. “He’s the definition of a true competitor.”
Braxton Linville turned in a strong game for the champion Panthers.
Linville said it was all about poise down the stretch.
“The came back and we just had to settle down and play our game,” said the standout junior guard. “Wawasee improved a lot. Gage is a great player. A very tough player. This is special for us to win back-to-back sectionals.”
Fox, a powerful 6-4 center, led the Panthers with 19 points and 12 rebounds. Miranda scored 14 points and Linville finished with eight for the champions.
Cam Simpson, one of just two seniors, also had eight key points for the Panthers. Sophomore Trey Bilinski added four points for NorthWood.
Reinhard tossed in a game-high 21 points, 13 of those coming in the final half, for the Warriors. Senior Aaron Voirol scored 16 points for Wawasee. Senior Alex Clark finished with six points, while junior Aaron Beer had three and junior Jayce Boatwright two for the Warriors.
Wawasee loses a strong senior group in Reinhard, Voirol, Clark, Stori Bright, Jake Hutchinson and David Rocha. Reinhard, Voirol, Clark and Bright all started the sectional final Saturday night for the Warriors.
The NorthWood trio of Cam Simpson, Braxton Linville and Alec Dutkowski hold the hardware Saturday night.