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Area duo part of new national champions!
SIOUX CITY, Iowa – This is the moment the Concordia University women’s basketball program has been waiting for. For the first time in school history, the Bulldogs were the ones celebrating when the confetti streamed down from the Tyson Events Center rafters.
Tears of joys flowed for senior Quinn Wragge, who couldn’t have asked for a better ending to her college career. Concordia cut down the nets after a 67-59 win over second-ranked Southeastern University (Fla.) in the NAIA Division II Women’s Basketball National Championship Game Tuesday evening.
Max native and Concordia junior Colby Duvel scored five points which featured hitting three of her free throws.
Duvel averaged 5.5 points per game during the 35-3 historic season.
Dundy County-Sratton alum Emily Jones just finished her season practicing with the Tigers and getting playing time on Concordia’s JV team. She is a sophomore who played in two state championship basketball games during her DC-S career.
Thirteenth-year head coach Drew Olson’s program had struck out in national title game appearances in 2015 and 2018. This time around, the Bulldogs focused – and they finished.
“Thinking about all that we went through last year and all the hard work it took to get here, I’m just so proud and so happy for them,” Olson said. “I’m thankful I get to be their coach. It’s more about the players. I’m just so happy they get this feeling. It’s really surreal honestly.”
The NAIA Division II National Coach of the Year, Olson turned the keys over this season to transfer Grace Barry at the point guard position. She delivered in a big time way. She posted a line of 15 points, seven assists and four steals in the title game on her way to being named the Tournament MVP.
Barry and company never flinched after an 11-3 deficit out of the gate. For some it might have brought flashbacks to last year’s championship game when rival Dakota Wesleyan made it a painful night for Concordia.
Consider the demons exercised.
“It was just an incredible feeling to be able to do it with such a great group of girls,” Barry said. “We’ve been talking about it since the summer workouts. We finally got it done.”
Barry spurred a 17-0 run in the first quarter to ensure that this would not be a repeat of a year ago. The Bulldogs just had to find a way to neutralize the size of Southeastern, which rolls out a starting five of players all 5-foot-11 or taller.
On this night, the Fire stayed tight with the three-ball (12-for-29 from 3-point range). Like the semifinal win over Northwestern, this one hung in the balance for nearly all of 40 minutes.
Concordia sewed it up on the defensive end holding Southeastern without a single point over the last 2:54 of game time. The lockdown effort on that end turned a 61-59 lead into a 67-59 final score. Barry netted a pair of free throws in the final 30 seconds and a Fire turnover put the finishing touches on the championship. With four seconds remaining, Wragge checked back in to a standing ovation.
“From the day I came here this has been the goal,” Wragge said. “This is what this program has wanted for so long. To be a part of that with these amazing girls is incredible.”