BOTH REDBIRD SQUADS IMPRESS AT THE OIT

Both the boy's and girl's Redbird teams came into the week of the Osborn Invitational Tournament on a roll.  The boys remained unbeaten at 11-0 and the girls had pulled their record to an even .500 by winning their last 4 games.  The boys came into the Osborn Tournament as the top seed but knew they would face challenges from athletic and experienced Polo and DeKalb squads.  The Lady Redbirds drew the #4 seed based on their recent play.

The Lady Redbirds opened the tournament with a first round win against the #5 seeded Polo Lady Panthers.  Winston advanced with a 47-25 victory over Polo.  In the second round the Lady Redbirds faced the top seeded DeKalb Lady Tigers.  Our girls battled and fought all game but in the end came up just 2 points short falling to the top seed 29-31.  There would be some teams who would feel sorry for themselves coming so close to the upset, but not our girls.  They used the momentum from that game and the confidence it gave them to come out and take the 3rd place game over the third seeded South Holt Lady Knights 44-30.  It was a very good tournament for our Ladies.

On the boy's side, our Redbirds came out with an opening round win over the #8 seed Union Star 88-24.  The second round would feature a tougher match-up in the Polo Panthers.  The Redbirds came out and led from the outset pulling away late in the third and finishing with a 57-30 victory.  The championship game would see a match-up with an athletic DeKalb team.  DeKalb came in as the #2 seed, they are also the school that will host our District Tournament.  The Tigers came out strong and jumped up early on the Redbirds.  As it has so many times this year, defense sparked a Redbird run.  A couple of turnovers led to some transition buckets and Winston never looked back.  DeKalb kept the score within reach for a while, but in the end the relentless defense and pressure allowed the Redbirds to stretch the lead in the second half.  The Redbirds finished with a solid 67-41 win to claim the title of the Osborn Invitational Tournament.

A trio of Redbird athletes earned all-tournament honors.  On the girls side, Kaytlyn Barnes was named to the All-Tournament Team.  Fellow Redbirds Jordan Leonard and Craig Lewis joined her as honorees on the boys side of the All-Tournament Team.

The Lady Redbirds now have a record of 8-7 while the boys record improves to 14-0.  Both teams are in action on January 19th as they travel to Stewartsville to take on the Cardinals.  Come out and support your teams.  It is a Great Day to be a Redbird!