Lady Redskins Improve To 8-0 In Win Over Oregon-Davis!
The start was fast and efficient for the Knox Lady Redskins, as they played host to cross-county rival Oregon-Davis on Friday night. It would not be deadly outside shooting that would lead to Knox’s 27-7 lead at the end of the first quarter. Rather, it would be intense defensive pressure that would cause the first quarter explosion on the scoreboard for Neill Minix’s squad.
The Lady Redskins would play an intense zone defense in the half court to start off the game creating havoc at every turn, as the Lady Bobcats attempted to maneuver in and around the defensive pressure. The zone strategy of Knox would disrupt any sort of flow Oregon-Davis tried to create, forcing nine turnovers in the first quarter. On the offensive end of the floor for Knox, it would be Felicity Olejniczak who would get the fire started. The 5’8 Senior came into Weinberg Gym Friday night ready, willing, and able to score as she would knock down four first half three-point shots on her way to scoring eighteen of her game-high twenty-one points in the first two quarters. The most exciting of her points came in the final seconds of the first quarter. With time running out, the Lady Redskins had the ball on their half of the court. As the seconds continued to tick down, Senior Preston Minx would have the ball in her hands, making a textbook pass to Olejniczak on the left wing. Felicity would catch the ball and, without hesitation, release a high arching shot with perfect rotation towards the basket. As the horn sounded to end the first quarter, the ball tore through the net giving Knox a twenty point lead at 27-7.
The second quarter would see Oregon-Davis calm down, despite the level of intensity not letting up from Knox. The Lady Bobcats would have their best scoring quarter of the night by scoring thirteen points in the second quarter with Mercedes Rhodes, Kylee Saylor, Madi Hudspeth, and Elizabeth Johnson scoring all the points for O-D. The Lady Redskins, however, would not let up much on either end of the floor, as they forced three more turnovers in the second quarter while scoring seventeen points of their own on their way to a 44-13 lead at the half. Knox would have great scoring contributions throughout the game from nearly the entire roster, as seven different individuals put up points for the Lady Redskins throughout the game, including three hitting double-digits. Providing a spark in the scoring column for Knox in the first half would be 5’8 Junior forward Madison Moss, who scored all seven of her points in the first half, while also coming up with two steals.
The second half would see Knox continuing to add to the lead, outscoring O-D 12-10 in the third quarter to take a 56-30 lead into the final eight minutes. After only scoring five points in the first half, Knox leading scoring Remi Jordan began to turn on the jets, as she would put up eleven of her sixteen points in the final two quarters, give her Lady Redskins an extra boost down the stretch. The battle on the boards was one of the most intense parts of the ballgame, with both teams being extremely aggressive on the glass. After being out-rebounded 18-14 in the first half, Oregon-Davis would have the upper hand in the second, as they out-rebounded the Lady Redskins 15-10. When all was said and done, it would be the defensive end of the floor where the Lady Redskins would make the biggest gap in the game, logging fourteen steals as a team while Oregon-Davis was only able to log two. Olejniczak along with Minix would combine for half of Knox’s steals in the game, as they would tally four and three, respectively. When all was said and done, it would be the balanced scoring, along with the intense defense of Knox, which would be the biggest difference in the game. It was a great test for both teams, as the two Starke County groups saw great athleticism at every turn on both ends of the floor. The remainder of the season is bright for the girls sporting red, white, blue, and black. It will be exciting to see what the remainder of the season holds for the two squads!
The Starke County Co-Op Play of the Game on WKVI came at the end of the first quarter, when Felicity Olejniczak knocked down a three-pointer, off an assist from Preston Minx, as time expired to give Knox a 27-7 lead heading into the second quarter of play.
The Ashley Derrickson/Five Star Player of the Game on WKVI also went to Felicity Olejniczak, who scored twenty-one points, including four made three-point shots, while also pulling away four steals to lead the Lady Redskins, and grabbed two rebounds as well.
The Lady Redskins will be back in action on December 17th, when they travel to Caston in a Hoosier North Athletic Conference battle, while the Lady Bobcats will get back to work on December 16th when they play host to Illiana Christian.
Game Statistics
Scoring
Knox(62): Riley Messer-2, Megan Bolen-10, Remi Jordan-16, Felicity Olejniczak-21, Brianna Korcha-1, Madison Moss-7, Preston Minix-5
Oregon-Davis(39): Elizabeth Johnson-7, Reagan Danford-1, Madi Hudspeth-7, Mercedes Rhodes-17, Kylee Saylor-7
3-Point Shots Made
Knox(5): Felicity Olejniczak-4, Preston Minix-1
OD(1): Elizabeth Johnson-1
Free Throws
Knox: 15-25 60%
OD: 14-24 58%
Rebounding
OD(29): Elizabeth Johnson-3, Reagan Danford-4, Madi Hudspeth-5, Mackenna Chessor-3, Mercedes Rhodes-9, Madison Wireman-1, Kylee Saylor-4
Knox(28): Riley Messer-6, Megan Bolen-8, Remi Jordan-6, Felicity Olejniczak-2, Madison Moss-4, Preston Minix-2
Steals
Knox(14): Riley Messer-1, Morgan Downs-1, Megan Bolen-1, Remi Jordan-2, Felicity Olejniczak-4, Madison Moss-2, Preston Minix-3
OD(2): Elizabeth Johnson-1, Kylee Saylor-1
*Statistical Information In This Article Provided By Kankakee Valley Broadcasting Staff. These Are Not Official Game Statistics*
