Former Lady Cougar basketball standout Sarah Cain-Weinburger is a champion again as a Bryan Lady Lion.

KINGSPORT, TN (SPECIAL TO WLAF) – Former Campbell Lady Cougar Sarah Cain-Weinburger and her Bryan Lady Lions are regular season and tournament champions. Cain-Weinburger had seven points and three rebounds in a game Bryan led by as many as 26 points including a 50-point first half in the AAC Tourney title game.

The Bryan College Women’s Basketball team woke up Friday morning with great anticipation for the upcoming game day. However, this was no ordinary game for the Lady Lions. This was the championship game of the Appalachian Athletic Conference Tournament. Their opponent was Reinhardt University. The Eagles had just knocked off last year’s tournament champions, Union College, and were eager to get another opportunity against the Lady Lions. The two teams had met twice earlier this year with Bryan taking wins in both contests.

The game started off in a back and forth battle with the Lady Lions having a nine-point lead after the 1st quarter. Key defensive stops for Bryan led to transition buckets as they extended their lead with a 20-4 run to go into halftime up 50-25. The Eagles began to cut the lead in the 2nd half, but the Lady Lions would not be intimidated by the potential turning point for Reinhardt. Bryan flipped the momentum and pushed their lead back out to over 20 points in the 4th quarter. No fans were allowed inside the gym in Kingsport, but you could not tell by how loud the Lady Lion team celebrated as the final buzzer sounded.

The Bryan College Women’s Basketball team clinched their 4th title in the last 5 years. Over the three-day AAC Tournament, the efforts of Destiny Kassner, Shayla Ludy, and Gracee Dishman earned them a spot on the All-Tournament Team with Kassner garnering MVP status. 

INSIDE THE BOX

  • Destiny Kassner was a dominant force for the Lady Lions as she finished with a double-double and a season-high 25 points and 13 rebounds.
  • Gracee Dishman tallied 15 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists.
  • Kaitlynn Hennessee added 10 points and 9 rebounds.

NEXT TIME OUT

  • With the tournament title win, the Lady Lions earn an automatic berth to the NAIA National Championship Tournament.
  • The Opening Rounds will be March 12-13 with 48 teams spread out over 6 different locations around the country.
  • Each opening round site will feature two, three-team “pod” tournaments in which the No. 1 seed will receive a bye. The No. 2 & 3 teams will play each other on day one, and will face the No. 1 seed in that pod for the championship.
  • The winner of that final game will go to the NAIA National Championship Final Site in Sioux City, Iowa.
  • The NAIA Women’s Basketball Opening Round Bracket reveal is scheduled for March 4 at 7:00PM EST on the Play NAIA Facebook Page. (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED – 03/01/2021-6AM)

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