The Sweet 16 is still sweet for these DI ladies

The tournament can be brutal The numbers are cut in half each round. After two rounds, there are only two local ladies still suiting up.

We started out with 26 local ladies competing on 16 teams in the NCAA DI WBB tournament. Only two ladies remain in uniform on two teams. And both of them are true freshmen only months removed from high school. Neither has gotten in a tournament game. But to be there, is still special.

University of Colorado

The Buffalos defeated Middle Tennessee in the first round, 82 to 60. They followed that up by upsetting No. 3 seed Duke in the second round, 61 to 53. They will meet up with No. 2 seed Iowa on Thursday.

The local connection is:

Ally Fitzgerald - Freshman - Marquette - Univ. of Colorado - Pac-12 Conference

Ally has not played yet this tournament

University of Louisville

The Cardinals beat Drake in the first round, 83 to 81. They went on to defeat Texas in the second round, 73 to 51.

The local connection is:

Zyanna Walker - Freshman - Wichita Heights - Univ. of Louisville - Atlantic Coast Conference

Zyanna has not been in a tournament game.

Baylor University

Baylor defeated Alabama in the first round, 78 to 74, before falling to UConn, 58 to 77.

The local connections are:

Aijha Blackwell - Senior - Cardinal Ritter - Baylor University - Big 12 Conference

Aijha did not play in this tournament.

Bella Fontleroy - Freshman - Kickapoo - Baylor University - Big 12 Conference

The former Chief freshman had a good first NCAA tournament. She scored 22 points and grabbed 9 rebounds in the two games.

Duke University

The Blue Devils easily defeated Iona, 89 to 49 in the first round before falling to Colorado, 61 to 53.

The local connection is:

Kennedy Brown - Junior - Derby - Duke University - Atlantic Coast Conference

In the first round, Kennedy only played 21 minutes, but she went 5 for 6 from the floor for 10 points. She grabbed 8 rebounds, blocked 2 shots, and made 4 assists. She didn’t score in the second game, but she got 3 rebounds, 2 blocks and 1 steal.

University of Oklahoma

The Sooners defeated Portland in the first round, 85 to 63 before falling to UCLA, 82 to 73.

The local connections are:

Taylor Robertson - Fifth year - McPherson - Univ. of Oklahoma - Big 12 Conference

Taylor hit all 3 of her trey attempts in the first game, scoring 14 for the game. She did not hit a 3 in the second game, but she finished the season with 91 treys. She is the all-time three point leader in the Big 12 Conference.

Beatrice Culliton - Freshman - St. Thomas Aquinas - Univ. of Oklahoma - Big 12 Conference

The Big 12 All-Freshman team honoree scored 4 points and grabbed 1 rebound in her first NCAA tournament.

Payton Verhulst - Sophomore - Bishop Miege - Univ. of Oklahoma - Big 12 Conference

A transfer from Louisville, Payton did not play in this tournament.

University of Texas

The Longhorns beat East Carolina in the first round, 79 to 40, before losing to Louisville, 51 to 73.

The local connection is:

Sonya Morris - Graduate Student - Incarnate Word Academy - Univ. of Texas - Big 12 Conference

The DePaul transfer scored 6 points and grabbed 2 rebounds in the tournament.

University of Toledo

Toledo defeated the Iowa State Cyclones in the first round, 80 to 73 before falling to Tennessee in the second round, 47 to 94.

The local connection is:

Yaniah Curry - Junior - Francis Howell Central - Univ. of Toledo - Mid-American Conference

Yaniah played 3 minutes in the second round game, but did not score.

West Virginia University

The Mountaineers lost to the Arizona Wildcats in the first round, 62 to 75.

The local connection is:

Danni Nichols - Fifth Year - Hickman - West Virginia University - Big 12 Conference

Danni got 2 points, 1 rebound, and 1 steal in her 13 minutes of playing time.

University of Alabama

The Crimson Tide lost to Baylor in the first round, 74 to 78.

The local connection is:

Ryan Cobbins - Senior - Piper - Univ. of Alabama - Southeastern Conference

The North Dakota State transfer played 10 minutes, getting 1 rebound and 1 assist.

Creighton University

The Blue Jays lost to Mississippi State in the first round, 81 to 66.

The local connections are:

Brittany Harshaw - Freshman -Andover Central - Creighton University - Big East Conference

Brittany did not play in this game.

Kennedy Townsend - Freshman - Park Hill - Creighton University - Big East Conference

Kennedy only played 4 minutes, but scored 4 points on 2 of 3 shooting from the field.

Carly Bachelor - Senior - Washburn Rural - Creighton University - Big East Conference

The senior scored 2 points and pulled down 6 rebounds

Drake University

The Bulldogs narrowly lost to Louisville in the first round, 81 to 83.

The local connections are:

Hannah Nilges - Sophomore - Jefferson City - Drake University - Missouri Valley Conference

Hannah did not play in the game against Louisville.

Sarah Beth Gueldner - Senior - Olathe Northwest - Drake University - Missouri Valley Conference

Sarah Beth scored 11 points, including 3 treys. Additionally, she got 3 assists and 2 rebounds.

Taedyn Gray - Freshman - Shawnee Mission West - Drake University - Missouri Valley Conference

Taedyn did not play in this game.

University of Hawaii

The Warriors lost in the first round to the Tigers of LSU, 50 to 73.

The local connection is:

Jacque David - Sophomore - William Chrisman - University of Hawaii - Big West Conference

Jacque did not plaClairey in this game.

Iowa State University

The Cyclones lost to the Toledo Rockets in the first round, 73 to 80.

The local connection is:

Emily Ryan - Junior - Central Plains - Iowa State University - Big 12 Conference

Emily scored 11 points. She went 2 for 2 from the stripe after being the nation’s second best free thrower during the season. She made 3 assists after averaging the 8th most in the county. And after averaging the second most minutes per game in her conference, she never came off the court in this tournament game. That is what a basketball warrior looks like.

Marquette University

Marquette was defeated by South Florida in the first round, 65 to 67.

The local connection is:

Claire Kaifes - Senior - Mill Valley - Marquette University - Big East Conference

Claire did not get into this tournament game.

Purdue University

The Boilermakers lost to St. John’s-NY in a First Four game, 64 to 66.

The local connection is:

Rickie Woltman - Senior - Incarnate Word Academy - Purdue University - Big Ten Conference

Rickie scored 6 points and got one rebound in her tournament game. True to her form throughout the year when she shot 68% from both the field and the line, she was 2 for 2 from both the floor and the stripe.

St. Louis University

TheBillikens lost in the first round to Tennessee, 50 to 95.

The local connections are:

Brooke Flowers - Senior - Metro Academic & Classical - Saint Louis University - Atlantic 10 Conference

Brooke played her usual outstanding game. She had 17 points, going 7 for 11 from the field after having the second highest shooting percentage in the Atlantic 10 Conference. She also blocked 5 shots which easily exceeded her 3.76 season average, which in turn, easily out distanced the entire county, making her the best shot blocker in NCAA DI WBB.

Mia Nicastro - Freshman - St. Charles West - Saint Louis University - Atlantic 10 Conference

Mia scored 2 points, going 2 for 2 from the line. She made 78% of her free throws this year.

Marissa Warren - Senior - Incarnate Word Academy - Saint Louis University - Atlantic 10 Conference

Marissa did not play in this game.

Kiley Bess - Junior - Poplar Bluff - Saint Louis University - Atlantic 10 Conference

Kiley got 4 minutes of playing time, but did no score.