If you took this script to Hollywood, there’s a chance they would ask you if the story was fiction.
But for the Grace women’s basketball team, it’s a sweet, sweet reality.
Playing in the final NCCAA tournament game at Grace College after a 15-year run hosting the event, the Lady Lancers were able to pull off their third win in four days, a 65-51 victory over Carolina University to take home the program’s first ever NCCAA championship while also saying goodbye to the event with a bang.
“I’m just so thrilled for so many people. Our players, our administration, our alumni. We’ve been so close so many times and to be the first team to get it done is surreal,” Grace head coach Dan Davis said after the game. “These young ladies have been a light in this community, the incredible young women they are in how they represent the lord and in so many other ways of life. It hasn’t always been easy this year and just shows the perseverance these ladies have.”
The Lancers took a few minutes to get into an offensive rhythm, allowing the visitors of Carolina University to take a brief lead in the early going. The advantage would not last long though, as once the Lady Lancers got going on offense, there was no stopping them. Playing her final collegiate game on her home court in her home town, Grace senior Maddie Ryman was a catalyst for the Lady Lancers in the early going, scoring six first-quarter points.
Ryman came into the game as Grace’s all-time leader in wins, points and assists. Now, she gets to add an NCCAA title as well the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player to her already stacked resumé.
“I’m just so thankful. I’m thankful to my teammates, I’m thankful to my family and I’m thankful to God. None of this would be possible without God,” she said just before cutting down the nets. “I couldn’t have done this alone. I’ve had so many people come pick me up when I was down and I truly could not have done this without the amazing people around me. All of the years of hard work, all those years of effort, it’s all worth it to have this moment.”
She wasn’t the only one getting involved all over the court. Junior Peyton Murphy was everywhere, racking up four points, five rebounds, two steals and a block in the opening 10 minutes of play. Freshman Morganne Houk also was heavily involved in the early going, scoring five in the first quarter. Combining all of this, the Lady Lancers were able to explode for a 13-0 run that saw them not only take their first lead of the night, but open it up to a 12-point advantage.

    Grace freshman Morganne Houk makes a hard drive to the basket during the second quarter. Photo by Gary Nieter

The Bruins were able to stick around though, dominating the offensive glass to get back to within six going into the second quarter. Grace wasn’t done going on runs however, using a suffocating defense to score six points in a matter of 20 seconds, all from Ryman, by forcing a plethora of turnovers by implementing an impressive full-court press to go back up 12.
The lead would continue to grow as the press the home side was putting on continued to baffle Carolina. Unable to get the ball over midcourt twice in the first half, oftentimes the Bruins would be forced to attempt a heave that would go out of bounds just to escape the pressure. On the day, the Lady Lancers forced the Bruins to commit 30 turnovers.
“That was the difference for us, we needed to compensate for their rebounding somehow, and forcing them to turn the ball over with that defense was just what we needed,” Davis said.
Eventually, Grace was able to give the visitors a taste of their own medicine with junior Kate Rulli putting in the work on the offensive glass and coming away with some second-chance points.
With everything clicking on one side and nothing going right on the other, the Lady Lancers were able to continue expanding their lead and were up by 21 at halftime, just 20 minutes away from an NCCAA championship.
But the game was not over yet, and the Bruins looked inspired as the third quarter began. The visitors got off to a fast start to begin the second half, punishing the Lady Lancers in the pains and cutting the deficit down to 14 just a few minutes into the third. Meanwhile, the Grace offense that had caught fire earlier in the game had suddenly gone cold, and midway through the quarter, it was a 10-point game.
“Hats off to them in that third quarter, they came out strong but credit to our girls being able to stay the course and maintain that lead,” Davis said. “We had a feeling coming in that they were going to hurt us bad on that offensive glass and they did.”

    Junior Kate Rulli of Grace pulls up for a jump shot during Saturday's NCCAA championship game against Carolina University. Photo by Gary Nieter

With the tension beginning to build in the Manahan Orthopeadic Capital Center, Grace was able to come up with some answers in some big moments to keep the Bruins at bay. Murphy hit a huge layup to stop the bleeding and then came up with a turnover-forcing play on the other end. Ryman went coast-to-coast for an easy two. Houk hit her second three of the afternoon to keep the Lady Lancers up by double digits. Using all of this and more, Grace was able to hold on tight to a 14-point lead heading into the fourth quarter.
As the final quarter moved along, the Lady Lancers were able to do just enough to stay in front, but the Bruins had another push left in them. Midway through the quarter, Carolina had finally gotten the deficit down to single digits at nine, but Kaylee Patton, Grace’s other homegrown senior, came up huge with a couple of big buckets to fend off the visitors. With just four minutes remaining, the home side was up 10.
It seemed as if Carolina had used so much energy making the lead smaller that they simply ran out of gas trying to close it out. Grace was able to get back to its roots in the final few minutes of play, extending its lead back up to 16 with just over two minutes to play. The packed crowd at the MOCC seemed to realize what was happening, rising to its feet to cheer on their Lady Lancers as they put the finishing touches on an NCCAA championship.
Ryman capped off her college career with a 20-point game. Patton scored nine points, all coming in the fourth quarter. Murphy narrowly missed out on a double-double with 12 points and nine rebounds. Murphy was also selected to the all-tournament team for her outstanding play over the course of three games. Houk scored 12 as well.
Next season, the NCCAA Tournament will be hosted by the College of the Ozarks and will be held in Point Lookout, Missouri.