Knox Gets Big Road Win At North Judson!

It was a win that the Knox Lady Redskins believed was achievable. It was a loss that the North Judson Lady Bluejays had not experienced since the 2014-15 season. The Lady ‘Skins went across Starke County to take on North Judson in their first of two regular season matchups, and came out with an incredible double-digit victory over the North Judson-San Pierre Lady Blue Jays 54-41.

The first quarter played out the way most people thought it would, with both teams working through some early jitters, but neither team taking full control at any point. The Lady Redskins would hold a slim 12-10 lead at the end of the first stanza. It would be the second quarter that would separate the two squads, as Knox was able to take advantage of their opportunities on the offensive end of the floor, and found a way to outscore the Lady ‘Jays 17-3, to hold a 29-13 lead at halftime. The Lady ‘Skins relied heavily on guard Felicity Olejniczak, who scored 12 of her team-high 15 points in the first two quarters. For the Lady ‘Jays, the offense was shouldered by Junior Lilly Frasure, who accounted for 76% of North Judson’s first half points, scoring 10 of the team’s 13.

As the second half began, the biggest question to most in the gym was, would the Lady Redskins be able to hold on to the lead? When one considered the recent history of the Knox/North Judson rivalry in girls basketball, it was a legitimate question to be asked. The Lady Redskins were more than happy to provide the answer, as their all-around great team play continued in the second half. Knox would see six different individuals put up at least two points in the final two quarters, as they patiently ran things on the offensive end of the floor. The Lady Bluejays would begin to chip away at the lead in the third quarter, however, as they were able to outscore Knox 11-10, to put the score at 39-24 at the end of the third quarter, with the Lady Redskins still holding on to the lead.

The fourth quarter would show a new level of intensity by both teams, as the Lady Redskins were aggressively patient with the ball, not wanting to just hold on to the ball, but wanting to work the clock as much as they could while still looking to score. North Judson’s Lilly Frasure would continue to show why she is one of the premier players in the entire State of Indiana. While continuing to share the ball, Frasure made a much more concerted effort in looking to score and help keep her Lady Jays in the game. The Junior, who is averaging 28ppg, accounted for 18 of the team’s 28 second half points. In addition to leading all players in scoring with 28 points in the game, Frasure was also the leading rebounder, pulling down 10 rebounds, and was the game’s leader in steals with 5.

The well-balanced scoring of the Knox Lady Redskins ended up being the biggest difference in the ball game, which also saw both teams play an incredible chess match on defense. Both the Lady ‘Skins and the Lady ‘Jays showed a plethora of defensive looks, making for an impressive defensive showing. Knox would end the game with 11 steals as a team, while North Judson would end with 7 of their own. The Knox Lady Redskins would find six girls scoring at least two points, with Olejniczak and Remi Jordan leading the way with 15 and 13 points respectively, while the North Judson Lady Bluejays were only able to get double digits out of Frasure. The Lady ‘Jays would have a major advantage when it came to rebounding, as they out-rebounded Knox 24-15, with Jordynn Dusek helping out greatly in that category pulling down 6 boards.

The Starke County Co-Op Play of the Game on WKVI was awarded to Riley Messer who was able to knock down a huge shot for the Lady Redskins in the first half, when it appeared that North Judson was beginning to take control. The Ashley Derrickson/Five Star Player of the Game went to Knox’s Remi Jordan, who had a well-rounded game, scoring 13 points, while pulling down 6 rebounds, and adding a steal on defense.

Round 2 of this intense rivalry will be seen at Harold Weinberg Gymnasium in Knox on January 25th as the first part of a boys and girls double-header, which will count as the official Hoosier North Athletic Conference game for both the girls and the boys.

Game Statistics:

Knox (54): Felicity Olejniczak-15, Remi Jordan-13, Megan Bolen-8, Riley Messer-9, Preston Minix-7, Brianna Korcha-2

North Judson (41): Lilly Frasure-28, Abby Chambers-6, Adalynn Harper-4, Olivia Burkett-2, Natalia Gebka-1

*Statistics In This Article Provided By Kankakee Valley Broadcasting Staff. These Are Not Official Game Statistics*