Back Two Back, No Better Feeling Than That

Haskell women’s basketball won its second conference championship in a row with a win over Georgia Gwinnett College on March 1, 2026. Gwinnett had beaten Haskell twice earlier in the year, but Haskell made sure to win when the game actually mattered. The win guaranteed Haskell a bid to the NAIA National Tournament.

None of this could have been possible without Ona Dauphinais, who carried the load and scored 28 points. Dauphinais was the leading scorer in the previous season and had the experience needed to shine in this game. This year, she took a more secondary role behind Newcomer of the Year Ivy Fox, but that didn’t stop her from still improving last year’s totals.

Dauphinais spoke of the leadership from returning seniors that could provide the drive for a deeper run, saying, “We have a lot of trust as seniors, and our underclassmen look up to that.”

Head coach Adam Strom has now led Haskell to two back-to-back tournament bids. Not many coaches can say they were fired and then went on to win two conference championships with the school that fired them. Coach Strom hasn’t had the easiest path, but he has done the best with what he has.

Coach Strom has hope that the senior leadership will lead Haskell further than last year, saying, “Leading that charge would be Dauphinais as well as Ivy Fox and Tea Murray.” On the fire, his seniors have shown, he said, “There’s no turning back. As a senior, you get down to your last minute, last game, last quarter, last bucket. could be your last.” He continued, “They’re playing very determined, knowing that any moment it could be their last 40-minute collegiate game.”

Haskell will play Marian University (Indiana) on March 13 at 5:30 p.m. ET. Last year, Haskell didn’t fare well in the tournament, losing its first game to Dordt University (Iowa) 80-95. This year, Haskell hopes to make a run and finish with its first red banner.