Washington dominates St. Viator, clinched 3A state championship bertH
- Jonathan Michel
- Mar 6
- 5 min read
NORMAL — The Washington Panthers were all smiles walking into the media room in the underbelly of CEFCU Arena in Normal on Friday.
“Last time we were here, we were crying,” one of them said.
One year after last year’s state semifinal defeat, the Panthers have nothing to cry about after handily defeating Arlington Heights St. Viator 55-34.
And-1s were a theme of Washington’s big win and they figuratively absorbed a bump from the Lions, finished and will get one more game, this time in Saturday’s Class 3A state championship against Chatham Glenwood at 4 p.m.
“It's hard to put into words how excited I am for this group,” Washington head coach Kim Barth said. “They've worked their tails off their entire lives to get here. Last year, we sat at this table heartbroken because we came out and we didn't play our best. This was our main goal to get back here and have an opportunity.”
“I couldn't ask for a better group of kids to do it with, and we will be ready.”
Having two games’ worth of experience playing at state predictably helped out Washington in a major way. It took the Panthers eight minutes and 21 seconds to score their first basket in last year’s Class 3A state semifinals but on Friday, it took them just seven seconds.
The Panthers drained big shots and locked down a St. Viator team making its first state appearance with defense, including holding the Lions scoreless for a five-and-a-half minute stretch.
“I just feel like with our experience, that's something that the other team didn't have, so we used our experience to our advantage,” Washington’s Avery Tibbs said. “You really just have to stay calm out there, and I feel like we did a good job of that.”
The Panthers didn’t take long to live up to their lofty pedestal they sat upon entering Friday.
Right away, a trademark baseline inbounds play from the Panthers saw Tibbs dash to the corner and drive in for a layup on its first possession. Washington’s second trip down the floor was a straightaway three from Dani Guedet and the orange-clad crowd roared again when Kate McDougall hit a wing three to make it 8-0 in just the first 96 seconds of the game.
McDougall was the lone starter that wasn’t a part of last year’s third-place team and delivered in the big moment, finishing with a near double-double of 10 points, nine rebounds and four steals. She also drained a deep three to beat the third-quarter-buzzer.
“Last year, I was with my mom and dad and my whole family, and just seeing my sister on the court, that motivated me,” McDougall said. “I was like, ‘I want to be there next year,’ and I just think that made me work a lot harder.”
Washington’s start marked a stark contrast from the Panthers’ Class 3A state semifinal in 2025 where they trailed Chicago St. Ignatius 19-0 after one quarter.
“Before the game, I don't think we were really that nervous,” Guedet said. “We were just really excited to get out here, we were pretty hyped so I think that was a big difference from last year.”
The final six and a half minutes, however, were not as kind to the Panthers. They missed their next four shots, committed seven turnovers, and the Lion went on a 6-0 run to end the first quarter down 14-11.
“I think that we really didn't feel like that was our best game,” Washington’s Dani Guedet said. “We came out [and] did what we needed to do, but I think that we know that we can play a lot better than that so that's what we're going to come out to do tomorrow.
The Panthers returned to their strong early-quarter form in the second as a Mazzy O’Brien layup was sandwiched between fast break layups from Avery Tibbs to build the lead back to 22-11.
Both teams went scoreless for a three and a half minute span in the second until Tibbs grabbed an offensive rebound and converted through a foul to make it 28-13 with 48 seconds left before halftime. St. Viator went scoreless for a span of 5:37 until a layup from Evelyn Hill just two seconds before the buzzer.
“We know if our defense is playing well, that our offense is going to click so we stress defense,” Barth said. “I'm so proud of their effort. 34 points is an excellent defensive effort here at the state tournament.”
“For me, personally, I think that I feed a lot off of getting a defensive stop,” Washington’s Mazzy O’Brien said. “It gives me a lot of motivation, momentum and energy. So if I get a steal, I have confidence to go back and hit another shot or make another big play.”
Washington’s defense forced 18 turnovers, which it turned into 19 points and 16 of which came on fast breaks. The Panthers converted four and-ones, including a pair from Tibbs, who scored all of her team-high 20 points inside the arc and at the free throw line.
“I like to expect the contact so just knowing that if you go through the contact and try and finish you know that just has to be your mindset,” Tibbs said. “Those small shots that we missed tonight, we'll make those tomorrow.”
A three and a layup from Guedet and a trio of layups from Tibbs helped Washington weather a pair of early third-quarter threes from St. Viator as the Panthers extended their lead to 20 late in the third coasted from there.
Tibbs added eight rebounds and a team-high five steals, Guedet finished 13 points and four rebounds, and Mazzy O’Brien added seven points and eight rebounds. The Panthers shot 39 percent to the floor compared to St. Viator’s 27 percent and went 14-for-16 from the free throw line.
Following the final buzzer, there were smiles and hugs, but no show of overt jubilation on the Panthers’ sidelines. They know that the job isn’t done yet as they’ll face Glenwood, who they beat 67-25 in their season opener, in a bid to win their first-ever state title.
“We have to stop the dribble drive, they got to the rim anytime they wanted to in the first game,” Barth said. “We know they're a great team. They're here, we know their defense is going to be pressure defense and we hope to reciprocate that as well.”
“I think we're kind of business-focused right now,” Barth said. “We're going to come out and try and play as hard as we can and as best we can.”
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