Knox Knocks Down Triton In Minix’s 100th Win!
On a cold, socially distanced, December day, the competition was burning hot at Weinberg Gym in Knox Saturday afternoon, as the Lady Redskins hosted the Triton Lady Trojans in Hoosier North Athletic Conference competition.
The Lady Redskins’ smothering defense would be the main cause for their early lead in the ballgame. The ladies from Starke County would be able to anticipate where the ball was going early and often as they played their 3-2 zone defense throughout the ballgame. Senior Felicity Olejniczak would have her eye on the ball constantly throughout the game, as she flawlessly anticipated pass after pass on her way to an eye-popping eleven steals in the game. Her aggressiveness at the top of the Lady Redskin zone defense would, more often than not, turn into points at the other end, as the speedy veteran would quickly turn her steals into points, scoring all of her game-high fifteen points in the first sixteen minutes.
The Lady Trojans, meanwhile, would keep themselves in the game with deadly shooting from the outside, knocking down six first half three-point shots to stay in stride with the Lady Redskins. A prime example of the tremendous outside shooting performance by Triton, came at the end of the first quarter. After Knox Junior Megan Bolen went the length of the court, knocking down an acrobatic layup with just seventeen seconds remaining, the Lady Trojans would answer as the clock continued to tick down. Triton would be patient, despite the clock winding down, making ten quick passes, getting the ball into the hands of Senior Emma Hepler on the tenth pass of the possession. With time nearly expired, Hepler launched a three-point shot, a good three feet behind the three-point line, banking in the jumper as time expired, which pulled the Lady Trojans back to within four points, sixteen to twelve, at the end of the first quarter.
The second quarter would see the Lady Redskins stretching the lead out a bit more as Olejniczak and Bolen would continue to put in high percentage shots, many of which came in transition, making it difficult for the slow-paced offense of Triton to keep up. Offensively for the Lady Trojans, it would be Hepler and Kinsey Atkins who would shoulder the bulk of the scoring responsibility, as the two would combine for twenty-two of the team’s twenty-five first half points, scoring fourteen and eight respectively. The duo accounted for all six of Triton’s made three-point shots in the first half of play, causing concern for the zone defense of Knox.
It would be the third quarter where Trion would make their biggest push of the game, but not in the way one might think. The Lady Trojans would continue using their pass-heavy style of play in the fourth quarter, not allowing for many scoring opportunities at either end. After committing thirteen turnovers in the first half, Triton would only commit three in the third quarter as they outscored Knox five to two, cutting the Lady Redskins’ lead down to five at the end of the third quarter, 35-30. Ultimately, the slow-paced strategy would work against the Lady Trojans in the final quarter, as Knox would outscore Triton six to two, on their way to a 41-35 victory, giving Knox a perfect 7-0 start to the season, and Head Coach Neill Minix his 100th career coaching victory in just seven years at the helm of the Lady Redskins’ program!
“Credit to the girls” Minix said following his historic win. “They came and worked their tails off every day in practice. I try to tell the younger girls, there is a reason we’ve won seventy-four games in the last four years. We’re no geniuses” Minx said with a chuckle. “But, if you come and do what we ask, you’re going to be successful”.
Despite the loss, Triton Head Coach Adam Heckaman remained upbeat with his team’s effort.
“I just told the girls, they have nothing to hang their heads about” Heckaman said. “They’re blowing people out every night, I think we came in and executed our game plan pretty well. We made some bad passes early on, but after that we settled down. I thought our girls did a really good job of adjusting”.
The Starke County Co-Op Play of the Game on WKVI came in the first quarter, when Felicity Olejniczak got her second steal, after which she pushed the ball down the floor to score, draw the foul, and hit the free throw, forcing Triton to call their second timeout of the quarter.
The Ashley Derrickson/Five Star Player of the Game also went to Olejniczak who scored a game-high fifteen points, all of which were scored in the first half, while also logging eleven steals, and going three of four at the free throw line in the Lady Redskins’ seventh win of the season!
The Lady Redskins will be back in action on Friday when they play host to Oregon-Davis in a game that will be aired on K99.3. The Lady Trojans will be back on the road Wednesday, December 9th, when they play their fourth of six straight road games, going to Tippecanoe Valley.
Game Statistics
Scoring
Knox(41): Riley Messer-2, Morgan Downs-2, Megan Bolen-11, Remi Jordan-4, Felicity Olejniczak-15, Madison Moss-2, Preston Minix-5
Triton(32): Taren Yates-4, Kinsey Atkins-10, Jaelyn Bules-2, Emma Hepler-14, Lexia Hostrawser-2
Made 3-Point Shots
Triton(7): Taren Yates-1, Kinsey Atkins-2, Emma Hepler-4
Knox(1): Preston Minix
Free Throw Shooting
Knox: 10-20 50%
Triton: 1-2 50%
Rebounding
Knox(21): Riley Messer-2, Morgan Downs-3, Megan Bolen-4, Remi Jordan-7, Madison Moss-4, Preston Minix-1
Triton(20): Taren Yates-2, Kinsey Atkins-3, Jaelyn Bules-4, Emma Hepler-2, Abby Viers-2, Lexia Hostrawser-4, Addyson Viers-3
Steals
Knox(18): Riley Messer-2, Morgan Downs-1, Megan Bolen-2, Felicity Olejniczak-11, Preston Minix-2
Triton(2): Taren Yates-1, Kinsey Atkins-1
*Statistical Information In This Article Provided By Kankakee Valley Broadcasting Staff. These Are Not Official Game Statistics.*