Lady Redskins Make History Again, Before Season Ends

The storied history of Knox Lady Redskins Basketball was not without postseason success. As a matter of fact, the Lady Redskin program was not even unfamiliar with 3-peating as Sectional Champions. One thing that had never been done in the entire program history was winning a game at the Regional level. Another box checked off for the 2019-20 Knox Lady Redskins and Head Coach Neill Minix.

On Saturday morning, the Knox Lady Redskins played in the second game at the Jimtown Regional, taking on Lighthouse College Prep Academy. The Lady Redskins found themselves in an extremely competitive ballgame early on against CPA, but were able to play with a great deal of consistency in the first two quarters. Juniors Remi Jordan and Felicity Olejniczak would shoulder the bulk of the scoring responsibilities for the Lady Redskins early on, as they accounted for 18 of Knox’s 31 first half points, scoring 11 and 7 respectively. Interestingly, one of the most exciting parts of the game to watch would be the rebounding battle between the two teams. The “College Prep Academy” would hold a slight edge over the Lady Redskins 14-12 at the half. Knox, however, would enter halftime holding onto a slim 4-point lead, 31-27.

The second half would be a completely different story. The Lady Redskins emerged from their locker room with a brand new fire, not wanting to bow out of the Regional in the first round for a third straight year. In perhaps one of the more surprising displays of basketball prowess, it would be Knox’s Brianna Korcha who would take control of the scoring responsibilities for the Lady ‘Skins. The 6’0 Sophomore played the second half like a woman possessed, as she was seen knocking down shot after shot on the offensive end. After only scoring four points in the first half, Korcha would drop in ten in the second, taking advantage of some great entry passes into the post. The aggressive, physical post-play of Korcha would help catapult the Lady Redskins to outscore “College Prep“ Academy 35-15 in the final two quarters to give the Lady Redskins yet another new chapter in the program’s history, with it’s first ever Regional game victory!

Korcha’s fourteen point performance earned her the Ashley Derrickson/Five Star Player of the Game honors on WKVI. She would be one of three Lady Redskins players in double-digits scoring as Remi Jordan led all scorers with 20, while Felicity Olejniczak would put up 14 of her own. The Lady Redskins would move on to the program’s first ever appearance in a Regional Championship Game, where they would take on the Northwood Lady Panthers, who had defeated Mishawaka Marian 44-38, in the day’s first Regional contest.

In the Championship game, the Lady Redskins would be able to hang tough with the 25-3 Lady Panthers. Although, scoring would be problematic for the ‘Skins. Neither team was able to light up the scoreboard in the first two quarters, as the Lady Redskins would find themselves trailing at halftime 16-9. It would appear, as the game progressed, that fatigue may have played the biggest factor in the second half, as the Lady Redskins began to get deeper and deeper into foul trouble, and would ultimately see point guard Megan Bolen and sharpshooter Felicity Olejniczak both foul out of the game. Northwood would end up outscoring Knox 27-21 in the second half, to come away with a 43-30 win, as well as the Regional Championship. Knox would once again see a great scoring performance from Sophomore Brianna Korcha, who would be the only Lady Redskin to reach double digits, as she was able to put up 11 in the Championship game.

While the Lady Redskins’ season came to an end, it was yet another historical year for the ladies in red, white, and blue. This year’s squad was able to log more wins in a single season, than any other team had done in the school’s history, ending with an overall record of 25-2. The record, along with the school’s first ever Regional game win in girls basketball, makes this year’s Lady Redskins Basketball Team the best team in school history. While the Lady Redskins will greatly miss the hardworking, determined, and inspiring leadership of their lone senior Kaity Fitzgerald, who showed our entire area what you can overcome when you are mentally tough, and have great support from friends, teammates, coaches, and administrators, the program cupboard is far from bare.

Next year’s roster will see Senior leadership coming from pretty good sources as Felicity Olejniczak, Remi Jordan, Preston Minix, and Kennedy Holst, will all be returning, hungry for a fourth straight Sectional Championship, and going further in the tournament than any Knox basketball team has gone before. Along with the Return of Brianna Korcha, Riley Messer, Madi Moss, Megan Bolen, and Addison Eskridge, the 2020-21 Knox Lady Redskins will be providing many sleepless nights for opposing coaches and teams during the course of the next twelve months!

Game 1 Statistics

Scoring

Knox(66): Riley Messer-3, Kaitlyn Fitzgerald-2, Megan Bolen-8, Remi Jordan-20, Felicity Olejniczak-14, Brianna Korcha-14, Madi Moss-3, Preston Minix-2

CPA(42): Trinity Barnes-14, Prentciss Gates-12, Iatia Poston-7, Larr’Onna Coleman-7, Jasmine Young-2

Made 3-Point Shots

CPA(2): Trinity Barnes-1, Iatia Poston-1

Knox(1): Felicity Olejniczak-1

Free Throws

Knox-17-25 68%

CPA: 12-20 60%

Rebounding

Knox(30): Riley Messer-3, Megan Bolen-13, Remi Jordan-6, Felicity Olejniczak-1, Brianna Korcha-3, Madi Moss-3, Preston Minix-1

CPA(25): Rayanna Martin-1, Trinity Barnes-2, Prentciss Gates-3, Breme Brown-3, Iatia Poston-2, Arriyanna Lemon-1, Larr’Onna Coleman-9, Jasmine Young-4

Steals

CPA(9): Trinity Barnes-5, Iatia Poston-4

Knox(7): Riley Messer-2, Megan Bolen-2, Remi Jordan-1, Felicity Olejniczak-1, Preston Minix-1

Game 2 Statistics

Scoring

Northwood(43): Kendal Miller-6, Alea Minnich-8, Karlie Fielstra-5, Bre Wise-5, Maddy Payne-10, Kate Rulli-9

Knox(30): Megan Bolen-9, Remi Jordan-4, Felicity Olejniczak-3, Brianna Korcha-11, Madi Moss-3

Made 3-Point Shots

Northwood(1): Alea Minnich-1

Free Throws

Knox: 16-27 59%

Northwood: 12-23 52%