(Owen Dease scored 13 points before fouling out)

 

In the first semi-final of the Evansville North sectional, Evansville Reitz pulled away from North late thanks to Ethan Higgs and Jordan Jarvis. The Panthers won 49-37.

 

Ryan Caddell started the game hot with a couple of threes to get Central rolling. After Gavin Schippert pushed Reitz back into the game, North finished the first period well with contributions from Dom Redding.

 

Owen Dease did not score in the first quarter but found a rhythm in the second. He knocked down two three-pointers and threw down a dunk. With Dease going and North went cold, Reitz was able to make it a one-point game at the half.

 

Out of the break, Dease and Higgs scored the first five for Reitz to take a three-point lead. It was back and forth throughout the third.

 

The major play of the third happened when North’s leading scorer, Chandler Moore, took a rebound coast to coast before being fouled by Dease and coming down hard. Dease went for the block and Moore came down with his top half first. It was a bad visual, but the play was closer to a clean block than a flagrant.

 

The play had repercussions for both teams. Moore went to the bench with an injury, and Dease went to the bench with his fourth foul.

 

Reitz took a five-point lead to the fourth, but Matthew Bunnell came off the North to give the Huskies a big boost. He helped pull North within one point of Reitz with 3:11 to play.

 

From there, Reitz started a 10-0 run behind the play of Jarvis and Higgs. The duo scored 12 points in the fourth quarter to put the game away for the Panthers.

 

Reitz moved onto the Evansville North sectional title game against Central.

 

Dease finished with 13 points and six rebounds. Ethan Higgs scored 12. Schippert tallied eight points and eight rebounds. Jarvis added eight as well. Isaac Higgs added five.

 

Caddell finished with 15 points and six rebounds but was only 2-11 from deep. Moore had six points and seven rebounds. Bunnell and Redding each scored six points in the loss.