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Last Saturday the Lady Pilots defeated Roberts Wesleyan to claim the NCCAA championship. After defeating Grace in the Midwest Region Championship, the Lady Pilot basketball team traveled to Grace to fight their way through a tough bracket and defend their NCCAA title. Along the way, Bethel knocked off Mid-America Christian University 73-70 in overtime, Emanuel College by a score of 56-48, and Roberts Wesleyan 80-69 to become the 2011 NCCAA Champions.
The Lady Pilots were able to take down Mid-America Christian University in a tough overtime battle thanks to key support from seniors Bekah Basinger and Heather Seyfred. Seyfred scored 24 on the night, while Basinger chipped in 23. In the next game, the Lady Pilots struggled to shoot the ball well but played good enough on the defensive end to stop Emanuel and were again led by solid senior leadership. Basinger had another great night with 14 points and senior Mandy Yoder contributed 10. In the championship game Saturday, the Pilots proved why they had won the tournament last year and defended it perfectly. It was all Bethel from the get go and although the fourth seeded Lady Raiders tried to make a desperate comeback late in the game, the Pilots would not be denied. Seyfred and Basinger continued to lead Bethel, as Basinger scored 21 and Seyfred claimed 19. Nevertheless, the Lady Pilots benefited from senior Carlie Dunbar who had experienced little playing time throughout the year and had been quiet offensively. Dunbar had 10 points, grabbed three rebounds, and chipped in three assists. Bethel finished the season with a record of 21-14 and comes home with their second consecutive NCCAA championship.
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