KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Zach Wrightsil scored 19 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, tournament MVP Myles Burns added 17 points and 17 rebounds, and Loyola (La.) beat Talladega (Ala.) 71-56 on Tuesday night for its first NAIA title since 1945.
Loyola (37-1), in its second NAIA championship game, won its fourth straight in the season series with Talladega — and stretched its overall winning streak to 21. The school’s only other championship — in any sport — was the 1944-45 team.
“I went into every single game this year believing that I had the best group on the floor, and that they weren’t going to let us lose,” Loyola coach Stacy Hollowell said. “You can’t quantify a kids passion, and these kids have passion.”
Loyola led 36-21 at halftime as Talladega was just 7-of-30 shooting, including 2 of 16 from 3-point range. Wrightsil had 10 points and seven rebounds at the break. Talladega only averages nine turnovers a game, but had eight in the first half.
Talladega started making 3-pointers after…
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