Ottawa falls in 3A sectional semifinal to top-ranked Washington

The Ottawa girls basketball team's season ends with a loss to the Class 3A No. 1 team.

Published on Feb. 25, 2026

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The Ottawa girls basketball team hung tough early against Class 3A top-ranked Washington, but the Panthers eventually pulled away for a 70-39 victory in the semifinals of the Galesburg Sectional on Tuesday. Washington went on a 16-0 run in the first half to take control of the game, and the Pirates were unable to recover.

Why it matters

Ottawa had a strong season, winning a regional championship, but ran into a buzzsaw in top-ranked Washington. The loss ends the Pirates' season, but they return most of their key players and will look to build on this year's success.

The details

Ottawa committed seven turnovers and allowed seven offensive rebounds in the first quarter as Washington built a 14-7 lead. The Panthers then opened the second quarter on a 15-2 run to take a 38-19 halftime advantage. Washington shot 48% from the field and won the rebounding (36-19) and turnover (9-17) battles.

  • The game was played on Tuesday, February 25, 2026.
  • Washington led 14-7 at the end of the first quarter.

The players

Washington

The Class 3A top-ranked team that defeated Ottawa.

Mary Stisser

A senior on the Ottawa team who will continue her basketball career at Black Hawk College.

Brent Moore

The head coach of the Ottawa girls basketball team.

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What they’re saying

“We knew we'd have a tough time matching up with them in our traditional man-to-man. We tried to game plan a hybrid matchup zone where we were still putting pressure on the ball.”

— Brent Moore, Ottawa head coach (shawlocal.com)

“Yeah, I was asked to score a little more this season, but I felt it was a smooth transition. We had Libby and Ashlyn, who were really good all season, and Kennedy was fantastic, and I can't wait to see her improve every season.”

— Mary Stisser, Ottawa senior (shawlocal.com)

What’s next

The Ottawa girls basketball team will look to build on this season's success, as they return most of their key players for next year.

The takeaway

Despite the loss to top-ranked Washington, Ottawa had a strong season, winning a regional championship. The Pirates will look to continue their recent success, as they return most of their roster and have a talented young player in Kennedy Kane who should only improve in the coming seasons.