The Lady Bisons began the tournament with an opening round victory over Southern Arkansas on Thursday night by a score of 80-48. They then defeated Arkansas Monticello in a semifinal match up by a score of 59-46 to set up the championship showdown with Arkansas Tech.
Harding played with incredible defensive intensity and as the tournament continued, the Lady Bisons defense only grew stronger. Here is a look at the field goal percentage for their opponents in each tournament game:
Southern Arkansas: 29%
Arkansas Monticello: 27%
Arkansas Tech: 26%
Each team was held well below their season averages and Arkansas Tech was the only team to even manage 50 points against the Lady Bisons. The suffocating defensive attack was led by Montana Lewis. She summed up the Lady Bisons defensive attitude best when she talked about how she takes her individual defensive assignments as a personal challenge. This mantra was lived out by each member of the team and it absolutely set the tempo for the championship run.
Offensively, the Lady Bisons depth was on full display. They averaged 16 assists per game while limiting their opponents to just 8 assists per game. In game one, Correy Moyer and Lundon Williams led the team in scoring. Game two saw Sydney Layrock and Montana Lewis shoulder the load. Finally, Arielle Saunders and Andi Haney were the leading scorers in the final game while Tabitha Haney knocked down two critical three pointers to spark a second half run. Unselfish players who are willing to feed the hot hand and find the open player are what championship teams are made of.
The Lady Bisons had a fantastic regular season and earned a share of the regular season conference championship. After losing two tough road games over Thanksgiving break, Harding won 11 consecutive games. However, they closed the season with a 5-4 stretch that would have caused many teams to spiral out of control.
But this team showed the resilience of a group who has faced adversity. Many key players experienced the heartbreak of losing in the GAC championship game last year and used experience to keep composure when times were tough on Sunday. With strong Senior leadership and fearless young players, the Lady Bisons are playing their best basketball of the season. They will now be traveling to Hays, Kansas in hopes of continuing their current win streak. The Central Region is loaded with high quality teams so the Lady Bisons will definitely be facing a tough challenge.
Following the championship game, Arielle Saunders provided a good summary of how they've been preparing for this stage. "We've talked a lot about people making big plays in big games. We have a team full of people who can do that and who have continually done it when we needed it- from Seniors to Freshmen."
Finally, what a difference a year makes:
Congratulations to the Harding University Lady Bisons- 2015 GAC Champions!
