Who's it going to be?

The Elite 8 was a night of great games, as it should be.
Hope defeated UW-Stevens Point, who ended Final Four host Illinois Wesleyan’s season the night before.
Amherst continues their undefeated season by knocking off Babson. Unranked Rochester shocked Kean.
And, to answer the question from my previous post: No, George Fox won’t do it again. Last night assured that we would not have a repeat National Champion in DIII women’s basketball. For the second year in a row, the George Fox Bruins met Washington-St. Louis in the NCAA Tournament, but this time in the Elite 8.  And this time, they lost.
The score’s of the consecutive match-ups are almost identical, but reversed. Last year, George Fox knocked off Wash U in the national championship game 60-53, and this year Wash U won 59-52. Just like last year, the game was a battle.  Until midway through the second half, the Bears and the Bruins fought back and forth. Wash U finally pulled away with an 11-4 run to solidify their Final Four berth. The Bears’ next game will be another familiar one, as they face Amherst for the second consecutive time in the semifinals.
The first-ranked team in the country won a trip to the Final Four, as Amherst led Babson the entire game. Down three points was the closest Babson could get to evening up the score. The Lord Jeffs were just a little more than Babson could handle, as five of their players scored double digits. If Amherst can get by Wash U, unlike last year, they would be playing to become the third straight national champions with an undefeated season. That title is only two games away, but those will be two difficult games, no matter who they play.
I had the opportunity to see the Elite Eight game that was played at Illinois Wesleyan this weekend; a game between two impressive basketball teams. The Flying Dutch of Hope College were excited at the idea of playing someone other than third-ranked IWU, but knew that defeating Steven’s Point would be no easy task. They were right.
Junior Carrie Snikkers was key in Hope’s win. Her height advantage was apparent from the second the two teams stepped on the court, but her four points in the first half made it seem as if her height wouldn’t matter. But then she dominated the second half, scoring 17 of her 21 points after halftime. She shot 9-for-13, had 12 rebounds and three blocked shots, en route to Hope’s 71-64 victory. Britta Peterson was the leader for Steven’s Point, scoring half the points, and making it clear Hope would not win easily. She just couldn’t miss.  But 30 points later, her team still fell short. The score was close all game, but Hope kept their poise. They played tough defense and hit the big shots when it counted. It was a fantastic feeling for Coach Morehouse and his team after losing the previous two years in the Elite 8 to the eventual national champions. And you could see it in their faces. As the clock ticked down smiles began spreading across the players’ faces and the anxious bench was waiting for the buzzer so they could storm the court to celebrate. When that buzzer finally went off, that is exactly what they did. There were smiles, yells, hugs and tears of joy as the Hope women’s basketball team celebrated finally making it back to the Final Four.
Next up for the Dutch will be a familiar setting. They will play at Illinois Wesleyan for the second weekend in a row, against another team that upset their higher-ranked opponent.
Which bring us to Rochester. It was a great weekend for the Yellow jackets as they ended two undefeated seasons. In the Sweet 16 game, they beat undefeated Christopher Newport, followed by their Elite Eight victory in which they became the first D3 team to beat Kean. The game versus Kean was tied at 13 different times, until just less than eight minutes remaining when Melissa Alwardt’s jumper gave Rochester the lead for good. And like Hope, Amherst and Wash U, Rochester is going to the Final Four.
Every team dreams of being in this position, and for four teams that dream has come true. Four games down, two to go. In the Final Four, all you can think about is winning. These final games will be tough. The crowd will be roaring, and each team’s season is on the line. They will have to take each game one at a time, because they all know that from the moment that first whistle is blown, there is nothing to do but trust that every sprint, drill and shot will be paid off.
So… Hope. Rochester. Washington-St. Louis. Amherst. Who’s it going to be?