GOSHEN — In the first 13 minutes of play Friday night, it looked like South Bend Washington boys basketball was going to be too much for Goshen to handle. The Panthers’ junior point guard Michael Stuckey had 17 points, matching the RedHawks’ total as Washington led 26-17 with 5:12 left in the second quarter.Goshen head coach Michael Wohlford called a timeout, and his message to the RedHawks wasn’t anything out of the ordinary. He simply urged Goshen to double team Stuckey, and that plan immediately made a difference.More: Top South Bend area high school boys basketball storylines for 2025-26When first-year Washington head coach Moe Scott Sr. called a timeout less than four minutes later, the RedHawks had a 34-26 lead after senior standout Levi Sawatzky hit a 3-pointer on three straight possessions. “Our kids feed off of that,” Wohlford said. “The crowd fed off of it.”In total, Goshen went on a 31-0 run from the time Wohlford called that timeout midway through the second quarter until the halfway point of the third quarter. That led to an 85-51 win for the RedHawks, starting their season 2-0 after beating Mishawaka Marian 51-41 Tuesday, December 2.“The biggest thing was we got deflections, we got steals and we didn’t turn the ball right back over,” Wohlford said. “Basketball is such a momentum sport that once we got it going, we were able to make things happen.”Sawatzky typically led the way for Goshen, dropping 24 points with four 3-pointers. Two other RedHawks put up double digits, with senior Nathan Corbin scoring 13 points off the bench and senior Karter Marcum’s 11 points were boosted by five free throws.More: South Bend players honored by Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 2026With seven of the 10 Goshen varsity players standing as seniors, Wohlford was not worried about the RedHawks’ ability to punch back after Washington smacked them in the face to start.“They’re pretty driven guys,” Wohlford said. “They’re pretty competitive guys. They’re pretty cerebral.”Meanwhile, the Panthers fell to 1-1 after beating La Lumiere Regional 63-57 Thursday, December 4. Stuckey finished with a game-high 25 points, and he admitted that the RedHawks’ mid-game adjustment to double team him for the rest of the way was difficult to break through.However, he’s keeping the perspective that this 34-point loss only comes in the second game of the season. There are 21 more regular season games for the Panthers to figure things out.“We’re going to keep fighting,” Stuckey said. “I feel like me and my guys can beat any team. Next time, we’re going to step up.”Unlike its opponent Friday, Washington is not a very battle-tested team. The Panthers have just four seniors, with three of them seeing the floor against Goshen. Senior Rodney Milligan finished with 12 points as the only other double-digit scorer for Washington.  More: Riley boys basketball look to sustain success in 2025-26 campaignScott felt the Panthers’ lack of experience in big games was the biggest reason why once the RedHawks got rolling, Washington was permanently caught on its heels.“They were deer in the headlights,” Scott said. “Be ballplayers, just keep playing … I believe it’ll come out in the wash.”Goshen’s next contest is a road game against Elkhart (1-1) set for Tuesday, December 9 at 7:30 p.m. As for the Panthers, they’ll travel to Bowman Academy (0-2) Wednesday, December 10 at 6 p.m.Scott believes the sting of their loss to the RedHawks will have Washington ready.“Remember this game, what it feels like,” Scott said. “Don’t ever forget it.”Kyle Smedley is a sports reporter at the South Bend Tribune. Contact him via email at ksmedley@usatodayco.com or follow him on X @KyleSmedley03.This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: South Bend Washington boys basketball fumbles early lead in loss to Goshen