Wagner Defies Odds to Win the Northeast Conference Championship
If you were looking for a Cinderella story this year you just might have found it in the Wagner Seahawks. The Seahawks were not only not the best team record-wise in their conference heading into this year's Northeast Conference tournament, but they were not even top five. However, going into the tournament, even though they had lost back-to-back games they were on one mission: Win the Northeast Conference Championship. This goal was by no means easy as on the way to accomplish it, they had to beat the #1, #2, and #3 seeds in their conference with only seven players available to play since all the others were out due to injury. Incredibly, that mission was completed tonight as they defeated the Merrimack Warriors 54-47 on Hammel Court in North Andover, MA. Wagner finishes their season with a 16-15 overall record and a losing record of 7-9 in conference play, making them the worst team to earn an automatic bid for the 2024 NCAA tournament thus far.
The first half of this Northeast Championship game was extremely close as neither team was able to build up a lead larger than seven points. With this being the case, Wagner would head into the locker room up 29-25 in a game that was anyone’s game with another twenty minutes still to be added to the clock and played. Within five minutes of the second half, the Seahawks had extended their lead to eight points as they were up 35-27 on the Warriors. However, Merrimack was able to catch fire and go on a 10-0 run to take the lead in this one 43-41 with 7:38 left in regulation. Unfortunately for Merrimack fans though, it seemed as if this 10-0 run was all they had the strength for as once the Seahawks took the lead again it seemed to end any hopes the Warriors had to win this one seeing that they would only score four more points the rest of the game.
While Wagner will almost without a doubt be a sixteen seed come Sunday and will probably even have to play and win a play-in game to be one of the 64 teams playing next week, no one expected them to even make it and that is exactly the point of March Madness. Even if the Seahawks get blown out in the first game, they play in the NCAA tournament they have already proved that it doesn’t matter how many games you win or lose during the regular season, anyone can win their conference tournament and advance to be a member of the 68 teams that make the NCAA tournament. This win also marks the first time the Seahawks have won the Northeast Conference tournament since 2003 and while things may not have gone their way that year as they lost to two-seed Pittsburgh 67-51 in the first round of the NCAA tournament, the Seahawks, utilizing their great defense to the best of its ability, will be hoping to get their first NCAA tournament win in school history this year.
