SEWARD, Neb. – Immediately after Christmas, it will be back to business for the third-ranked Concordia University women’s basketball team. The Bulldogs will fly out of Nebraska the morning of the 26th destined for Phoenix, Ariz., site of the Arizona Christian Holiday Classic. Thirteenth-year head coach Drew Olson’s squad will take on No. 21 Arizona Christian University (NAIA Division I) and No. 2 Southeastern University (Fla.) during the event.
Arizona Christian Holiday Classic
Thursday, Dec. 27 vs. No. 21 Arizona Christian University (9-4), 5:30 p.m. MST / 6:30 p.m. CST
Friday, Dec. 28 vs. No. 2 Southeastern University (11-0) 5:30 p.m. MST / 6:30 p.m. CST
Both games at the holiday event will be streamed live via Stretch Internet at a cost of $7.95 per game. In addition, Concordia play-by-play voice Tyler Cavalli will be live from Fultz Memorial Gymnasium in Phoenix to call the action on 104.9 Max Country.
At least on paper, Concordia (12-1, 8-1 GPAC) earned its most impressive win to date in its most recent outing. In a rematch of the 2018 NAIA Division II national championship game, the Bulldogs toppled No. 1 Dakota Wesleyan, 82-68, inside the Corn Palace on Dec. 15. Concordia now owns five wins over nationally-ranked opponents. Thanks to her performance in that contest, junior All-American Philly Lammers raked in the GPAC Player of the Week award. She posted a line of 10 points, 13 rebounds, six blocks and four steals at Dakota Wesleyan.
While Lammers and Quinn Wragge are the returners with All-America accolades to their credit, the Bulldog backcourt represents another reason why the Bulldogs are again a strong contender to win the GPAC title. Among all NAIA Division II players, point guard Grace Barry ranks first in steals per game (4.15) and second in assists per game (6.46). Barry can also score. She turned in a career high 19 points at Dakota Wesleyan. Meanwhile, backcourt mate Taylor Cockerill (team high 15.4 ppg) has established herself as a star. She nailed three treys during a 17-2 second quarter run at the Corn Palace.
Concordia will be exceedingly difficult to beat if it can consistently replicate the shooting performance it put together at Dakota Wesleyan. The Bulldogs buried 14-of-33 shots (.424) from 3-point range. Over the last five outings, they have averaged more than 11 3-point field goals per game. Cockerill is seven for her last nine from beyond the arc. Off the bench, Lincoln Lutheran product Mackenzie Koepke has not been shy. She’s hoisted 57 3-point attempts and has knocked them down at a 35.1 percent clip.
Host Arizona Christian will enter its own classic with a four-game win streak that featured a 71-63 win over then 14th-ranked The Master’s University (Calif.) on Dec. 1. The Firestorm have been an efficient shooting team, sporting shooting percentages of 76.2 from the free throw line and 46.7 from the field. The headliner of the squad is senior guard Courtney Christmas, who tops Arizona Christian in scoring (23.3), rebounding (6.5), steals (3.3) and blocks (2.85). She is the national scoring leader at the NAIA Division I level. The Firestorm were ousted from the 2018 national tournament in the first round.
Like Concordia, Southeastern has aspirations of winning a national title. A member of The Sun Conference, the Fire reached the national quarterfinals last season are off to an 11-0 start that includes Thursday’s 83-66 home win over No. 4 College of the Ozarks (Mo.). Head coach Tim Hays squad will also be in action today (Dec. 21) against sixth-ranked Indiana Tech. Southeastern lists four guards as starters, but all five are 5-foot-11 or taller. All five also began their college careers elsewhere. The Fire have dominated their conference having won 41 regular-season league games in a row.
Projected Starters
(Scoring average in parentheses)
Concordia (12-1)
G – Grace Barry, Jr., 5-7 (11.3)
G – Taylor Cockerill, So., 5-9 (15.4)
G – Riley Sibbel, Jr., 5-9 (4.8)
F – Quinn Wragge, Sr., 6-0 (11.9)
F – Philly Lammers, Jr., 5-11 (14.2)
Arizona Christian (9-4)
G – Courtney Christmas, Sr., 6-0 (23.3)
G – Toni Davis, Jr., 5-7 (10.2)
G – Jada Willingham, Sr., 5-10 (13.0)
F – Makayla Enders, Sr., 5-11 (15.6)
F – Jac Moody, Sr., 5-9 (7.1)
Southeastern (11-0)
G – Makenzie Cann, Sr., 6-1 (15.5)
G – Jaycee Coe, Sr., 5-11 (14.7)
G – Elsa Paulsson-Glantz, Sr., 6-0 (19.6)
G – Halee Printz, Sr., 5-11 (7.7)
C – Marlena Schmidt, Jr., 6-6 (9.4)