3-Peat Becomes Reality For Lady Redskins!
The 2019-20 Knox Lady Redskins joined the ’93, ’94, and ’95 Lady Redskin teams as the only three time consecutive Girls Sectional Basketball Champions in school history! The path to that Sectional Championship would not be an easy one on Saturday Night, as the Kankakee Valley Lady Kougars came into Weinberg Gymnasium ready to play.
The Lady Redskins would be caught on their heels early in the ballgame, as Kankakee Valley would explode onto the scene, with great outside shooting to go along with tough defense. KV would take a 12-6 lead as the teams headed into the second quarter of play. Quarter number two would see much of the same as the Lady Kougars would continue to frustrate Knox on the defensive end of the floor, getting multiple deflections, and continuing to knock down shots from the outside. The Cougars four made three-point shots would help propel them to a an impressive 11-point lead at the half, 24-13. From a defensive standpoint, both teams would have success in the first half, as the Kougars would find eight steals, while Knox would log seven in the first two quarters. The difference being Kankakee Valley was able to translate more of their forced turnovers into points at the other end.
The second half would tell a different story for Knox, as the team seemingly took a few deep breaths at halftime, coming out of the locker room with more focus and less nerves. Of course with any championship effort comes a great defensive effort. The Lady Redskins fully embraced that concept as they would be on a defensive mission in the third quarter, smothering KV nearly every second. By the time the horn sounded at the end of the third, the Lady Redskins had outscored the Lady Kougars 13-2, to make it a 26-26 tie heading into the final quarter of play.
A rejuvenated Lady Redskin team would continue to be hard-nosed on the defensive end of the floor, while showing a little more patience on the offensive end. With momentum on their side, the energetic Knox defense began to fully frustrate Kankakee Valley, as their outside shooting cooled off significantly from the first half. With the Kougars continuing to take quick shots from the outside, the Lady Redskins found multiple opportunities to regain possession of the ball and get back to running their offense with a perfect combination of aggressiveness and patience.
When the final horn sounded, the Lady Redskins outscored Kankakee Valley 25-9 in the second half and found themselves on the winning side of the 38-33 final score, giving Knox their third straight Girls Basketball Sectional Championship, and the second 3-peat in school history!
The Ashley Derrickson/Five Star Player of the Game on WKVI would be awarded to Knox’s Megan Bolen, who was second on the team in scoring with 11 points, while leading the team in rebounding with 9, and also getting 2 steals in the win. Her scoring was balanced throughout the evening, as she put up 5 points in the first half, with 6 in the second. She was also counted on, as she has been much of the season, to handle the ball from the point guard position. Remarkably, the Lady Redskins would only have four girls in the scoring column. In addition to Bolen’s 11, Felicity Olejniczak would lead the team with 14 points, followed by Remi Jordan with 9, and Brianna Korcha, who put up 4.
The Lady Redskins move on to Regional play next weekend at Jimtown, where they will be taking on Lighthouse CPA, with the winner moving on to play in the Championship against the winner of Mishawaka Marian and Northwood. The Lady Redskins will bring the best overall record into the Regional, as they now stand at 24-1 on the year. Northwood will come in with a record of 24-3, Mishawaka Marian carries a 22-5 record, while CPA will enter with a record of 16-7.
Game Statistics
Scoring
Knox(38): Megan Bolen-11, Remi Jordan-9, Felicity Olejniczak-14, Brianna Korcha-4
KV(33): Taylor Schoonveld-6, Lilly Toppen-5, Colby Sizemore-3, Samantha Martin-13, Karmen Nowak-6
3-Point Shots Made
KV(4): Lilly Toppen-1, Colby Sizemore-1, Karmen Nowak-2
Knox(2): Felicity Olejniczak-2
Free-Throws
Knox: 10-16 62%
KV: 3-5 60%
Rebounding
KV(17): Taylor Schoonveld-5, Colby Sizemore-2, Samantha Martin-8, Karmen Nowak-2
Knox(15): Riley Messer-1, Megan Bolen-9, Remi Jordan-3, Brianna Korcha-2, Preston Minix-1
Steals
KV(13): Taylor Schoonveld-3, Lilly Toppen-2, Colby Sizemore-1, Samantha Martin-2, Karmen Nowak-1, Courtney Sizemore-4
Knox(11): Megan Bolen-2, Remi Jordan-1, Felicity Olejniczak-3, Brianna Korcha-1, Madison Moss-1, Preston Minix-3
*Statistical Information In This Article Provided By Kankakee Valley Broadcasting Staff. These Are Not Official Game Statistics*
*Photos Sponsored By Momma’s Pizzeria In Downtown Knox*