WBCA Coaches Top-25 Poll
INDIANAPOLIS – The Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) recognized Walsh and Kentucky Wesleyan among Division II’s top 25 programs in the new national rankings that were released on Tuesday.
Walsh is ranked for the fifth consecutive week, moving up to No. 12 from 14th, while Kentucky Wesleyan is a newcomer to the list after receiving votes, landing at No. 24.
The Cavaliers and Panthers have emerged as contenders for the regular season crown in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference standings this season. Both programs have near-perfect win percentages and qualified for the NCAA Championship Midwest Regional in 2018-19.
This is the first time in conference history that two different teams from the conference have been nationally ranked by the WBCA. The last Great Midwest team to appear in the national rankings was Findlay at No. 25 and Cedarville at No. 22 in the 2017-18 season (different polls).
Not surprisingly, both teams also rank No. 1 and 2 in the season point rating system entering a week of competition.
The Panthers finally jumped into the fray as winners of eight straight and boast an overall record of 21-1. Kentucky Wesleyan’s lone loss of the season came against Walsh and the two teams wouldn’t meet again until the postseason.
Senior forward Keelie Lamb and redshirt freshman forward Tahlia Walton have been conference players of the week this year. The Panthers rolled on the road at Lake Erie and Ursuline over the past week of play. Next up are home dates vs. Findlay and Hillsdale.
Lamb and Walton are also the only double-digit scorers in a very balanced rotation that is second in the conference in scoring per game. KWC is the top defensive program in the league by a considerable margin, holding opponents to just 54 points per game.
That per game point total is less than 10 points allowed on average by Cedarville, which ranks second in total defense (64.1 ppg). The Panthers are routing opponents by an average of 27 points per game.
Walsh keeps on rolling after winning two on the road at Hillsdale and Findlay. The Chargers gave the Cavaliers a bit of a scare on Thursday, but came through with a game-winning layup by Alyssa Dean with two seconds on the clock.
Walsh has now won 14 consecutive contests while remaining the lone unbeaten in the conference schedule at 12-0. The Cavaliers are still tops in the league scoring over 86 points per game and are toppling foes by almost 20 points each game.
The Cavaliers are now 19-2 overall with Alderson Broaddus and Ohio Valley next on the docket this week.