*AUTHORS NOTE – Kee On Sports is in need of financial help in order to avoid charging subscription fee’s or placing paywalls on our content moving forward.  If you would like to partner with us as an advertising sponsor please reach out to me at Vince.McKee@keeonsports.com so we can avoid taking this drastic measure.

Medina, OH – The Medina Lady Bees played host to the Brunswick Lady Blue Devils to kick off a Girls/Boys double-header on Friday night. The Medina Bees got off to a slow start as they trailed after the first quarter. However, they were able to take over early in the 2nd half and come out on top. Olivia Klanac led the way for the Bees with 18 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists. 

The underdog Brunswick Blue Devils came ready to play against the 8-1 Medina Bees. The fast-paced play had the first quarter moving quickly. With just over 2 minutes to go in the first, the game was knotted up at 9. Out of a timeout, Brunswick knocked down two quick threes to put them ahead 15-9 forcing a Medina timeout.  

The Bees were able to get a little bit closer with a bucket late in the quarter. After one, the Brunswick Blue Devils held a 15-11 lead. Grace Willkom led the way for Brunswick with an impressive 6 points and 4 rebounds after one quarter. 

The 2nd quarter was Olivia Klanac’s time to take over. With just under 3 minutes to go in the half, the Coastal Carolina commit had led the Bees’ comeback to take a 23-21 lead. She had notched 11 points in the game up to that point. Another Medina bucket would extend their lead to 25-21. That lead would hold heading into halftime.  

The Bees were outrebounded in the first half thanks to multiple second-chance opportunities for Brunswick. That tide turned drastically in the second half. Head Coach Karen Kase had this to say about the second-chance opportunities Medina allowed, “When you give them the second chances, that’s not enough positioning or effort from our team. So, you crumble up the scouting report and throw it away. You just ask for more effort, and you ask for more intensity while doing the right thing. That’s what we did.” 

The second half could not have started better for the Bees. They rattled off a 14-0 scoring run to start the 3rd quarter. The scoring came from multiple players that included Addy Shook, Molly Gilbert, and Olivia Klanac during the run. Medina finished the quarter by outscoring Brunswick 18-3. This boosted their lead to 43-24. Klanac continued to lead the scoring with 16. 

Brunswick would not go down without a fight, however. The effort throughout the team showed as they continued to go for loose balls and fight for rebounds. Scoring outbursts from Adaya Collenette and Grace Willkom helped the Blue Devils outscore the Bees in the final frame. Unfortunately for Brunswick, it was too little too late. The Medina Bees came out on top 56-39. 

For Senior Olivia Klanac, it was senior night on top of the big rivalry game. She led the way for the Bees for much of the game. Klanac has broken multiple records, received numerous accolades, and is a division 1 commit.  

However, there is still something extra special about senior night, “It was really special… I’m so grateful to be with the group that I’m with. The community is so supportive of me. So, it was really cool to have my Senior Night on a big game against Brunswick and a double header with the boys after us.” stated Klanac following her special night. 

Coming Up 

The victory for Medina pushes their season record to 9-1 as they get ready for a matchup with the Euclid Panthers on Wednesday, January 8th at Medina. For Brunswick, the loss drops them to 4-8 on the season. They will look to bounce back on Tuesday, January 7th as they travel to Cleveland Heights to take on the Tigers. 

Key Players 

Medina: 

Olivia Klanac – 18 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 5 stocks (combined blocks and steals) 

Addy Shook – 16 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 6 stocks 

Molly Gilbert – 12 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 stocks 

Brunswick: 

Grace Willkom – 15 points (5 threes), 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 stocks 

Adaya Collenette – 16 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 stock