In an all-Kansas matchup for the NAIA Women’s Basketball National Championship, Kelsey Larson will be heavily relied on to help lead Baker to victory over rival MidAmerica-Nazarene.
“It is an unreal feeling right now,” Larson said. “Not many people thought we would be here. I couldn’t ask for a better group of girls to do it with.”
The former Iola star is a junior with Baker and has played a key role all season for the Wildcats. She is averaging 9.6 points game this year and 3.7 rebounds a game. Larson also leads the team with a 76 percent clip from the foul line.
“My confidence has gone up,” Larson said. “I’m around a great group of girls right now and we all just have so much confidence in each other and that is a big key to my success and our team’s success.”
Larson has saved some of her best performances for the playoff run to help propel her team to the pinnacle of NAIA women’s basketball.
Larson led her squad with 17 points in the national quarterfinals in a win over Lewis-Clark State College (Idaho), 71-52.
Baker then topped another confer much confidence in each other and that is a big key to my success and our team’s success.”
Larson has saved some of her best performances for the playoff run to help propel her team to the pinnacle of NAIA women’s basketball.
Larson led her squad with 17 points in the national quarterfinals in a win over Lewis-Clark State College (Idaho), 71-52.
Baker then topped another conference opponent with Benedictine in the semifinals.
Baker has lost to Mid-American Nazarene all three times they’ve played this season.
The Pioneers topped the Wildcats, 69-66, in their first meeting on Nov. 21 in Baldwin City.
MNU again beat Baker 65-54 when the two teams met in January in Olathe.
In the HEART Championship game, the story was the same for the Wildcats. They lost 53-41.
“We just need to play them like we play any other team,” Larson said of her team’s mindset. “We are peaking right now, which is the best time in your season to peak.”
