MATTOON, Ill. -- Amid the celebration following the Lady Warriors' seventh consecutive NJCAA Midwest District tournament championship, Shaulana Wagner managed to put it all into perspective.
As impressive as her team's workmanlike 102-52 victory over Vincennes in the title game was on Thursday night, this is not the end-all be-all in a 30-1 season. There is still more work to be done, Wagner said.
"We know this is not the end goal," she said. "We know our biggest goal is to become national champions. So, that is why we can go on. This here is not what we're looking for."
The 12th-ranked Lady Warriors will now get their shot at the ultimate crown when play begins in Lubbock, Texas on Mar. 22. They will be one of 24 teams gathered for the NJCAA Division I national tournament, held at the Rip Griffin Center on the campus of Lubbock Christian University.
"I am happy for the girls, and happy for the program," said WVC coach Luke Scheidecker. "I told them we cannot get complacent about winning championships. It is not as easy as they make it look. I am just really proud of them."
With its' trademark style of relentless pressure defense which forced Vincennes into 21 first-half turnovers on full display, Wabash Valley bolted to a 24-9 lead after a 10-point run in the first quarter.
Though the Lady Warriors appeared to struggle at times with offensive rebounding, it did not slow them down. By halftime, the advantage was 51-26, and the game was in hand by the end of the third quarter with the lead at 78-40.
Wagner, who was named the Most Valuable Player of the District tournament, led Wabash Valley in scoring with 23 points. She shared the spotlight at the top of the leaderboard with fellow sophomore Yiesha Williams, who finished with 20 points.
Williams, who earlier in the week announced she would play next year at the University of Evansville, also made the all-tourney team along with the entire starting lineup.
The focus has remained sharp all season long in preparation for what is coming next, Williams said.
"We just have to remember that we are all fighting for something. We want to win the nationals," she said. "We can't slack off or we will get into bad habits. So, we have to keep the good habits and keep working hard."
"Tonight is just an example of what they have done all year," said Scheidecker about the pre-season and individual workout ethic that leads to "what happens today."
Five players finished in double figures for Wabash Valley. Joining Wagner and Williams were Brooklyn Gray (17 points), Chanteese Craig (13) and Kuryn Brunson (10).
Vincennes, which bowed out of the tournament with a final record of 21-11, was led by Daylynn Thornton with 12 points.
WVC has qualified for every single national tourney since 2017 but did not make the trip to Texas in 2020 when the event was cancelled due to COVID.
The pairings will be released early next week in a national program streamed live on NJCAA.tv. The tournament field will consist of 16 district champions and eight teams chosen at-large.