South Bend Adams Survives Mishawaka 57-55 in Class 4A Opener

South Bend Adams survived a 57-55 test at Mishawaka Tuesday night, advancing in the Class 4A sectional with what observers called an "ugly" but necessary postseason win. The victory keeps Adams moving in the bracket and sets up the Eagles for a deeper run in the sectional.

The game’s go-to man was Tommy Snyder. Snyder, a 6-5 senior, finished with 26 points and 14 rebounds for Adams, a line that anchored the Eagles in tight moments and on the glass. Adams’ coach Chad Johnston said the team deliberately fed Snyder more in the third quarter and tightened up after halftime: "We wanted to get Tommy more touches in the third quarter, and we played much better defense in the second half. We rebounded much better, and I was real happy with the third and fourth quarters."

Earlier on Tuesday night at Plymouth, Adams also posted a 57-47 victory over Riley in sectional play, with Snyder again influential. In that game Adams’ quarter-by-quarter scoring read 8, 22, 37, 57 while Riley finished 5, 22, 30, 47. Adams pulled down 29 rebounds in the Riley game with Snyder grabbing 14 of them; the Wildcats finished with 19 rebounds and Marvin Schindler led Riley with 23 points on 9-of-20 shooting. Adams connected on just 2-of-7 from three in that contest while Riley hit 9-of-28 from deep.

Turnovers and fouls factored into Adams’ two postseason wins: the Eagles committed 14 turnovers and were whistled for seven fouls in the Riley box score, while Riley had 11 turnovers and 20 fouls. Adams’ on-court adjustments — more touches for Snyder, improved second-half defense and a stronger rebound effort — produced the separation needed late in both tight games.

The sectional night produced multiple close finishes. Michigan City also defeated Mishawaka 58-55 in the first game Tuesday, and other recaps from the night show separate action involving Mishawaka Marian. In that Mishawaka Marian game, Andre Wells poured in 25 points and five rebounds and Brandon Foster added 13 points, six rebounds and five assists; separate box reporting from the Marian game listed Drew Dixon with 17 points and nine rebounds and Jarvis Tolbert with 16 points and six boards in an Adams loss on a different night.

Adams will continue in Class 4A sectional play with a matchup against host Plymouth in Sectional 3, a next step the program needs to convert its gritty late-game resilience into a longer postseason run. The Eagles’ margin for error is thin, but Snyder’s 26/14 and Adams’ improved second-half play give them a clear path forward.