"I can't say enough about these girls," said coach Rowe. "When Lindsey (Sparks) went down, I guess a lot of people thought we might be finished. I knew these girls had too much heart and character to quit now."

For Rowe, who has been a college head coach for the past eight years, this is his first conference championship. "At Brescia, where we won all of those games, we were an independent college and didn't play in a conference. This is something special for me and this team. They work hard and I'm pretty tough on them at times, but they all know that my only goal is for them to get better each game."

The Lady Flames will take a 25-5 record into conference tourney play. They finish regular-season SSAC play at 17-3. Now Rowe wants his women to focus on the SSAC tournament and the upcoming NAIA nationals. With a lofty No. 8 ranking in the NAIA poll, Lee should get a good seed in the national event in Jackson, Tenn.

In a hard-fought defensive struggle, the Lady Flames got off to a great 12-0 lead and held the upper hand the majority of the 40-minute game. Jan Dodson paced Lee's early surge and finished the night with 12 points and six rebounds.

With Sparks out of the line-up, senior Leah Green raised her game to an all-time high. Playing extremely well on both ends of the court, Green's solid effort consisted of 12 points, two rebounds, two assists and one steal. "It was just an unbelievable effort by Leah," said Rowe. "She's played well for us all year, but she has now taken on a more leadership role with Sparks out."

While Green and Dodson had key efforts, it was Danielle Bobo who stepped up big time in the final minutes. "This girl doesn't know how good she can be," said Rowe after the win. "Danielle is such a great kid and is so low-keyed. She is a multi-talented athlete."

Two huge post moves by Bobo as Berry applied the pressure in the final minutes helped prove to be the difference. Bobo made 4-of-6 field goal attempts and finished with 10 points. She also had seven rebounds and the Lady Flames won the rebounding battle, 36-34.

Rowe also praised the play of freshman point guard Allison Rader. "There is no doubt in my mind she is the Freshman Player of the Year in this conference," stressed Rowe. "Allison did a great job of running our offense tonight and was outstanding on defense. Keaton Bodiford and Jessica Lucas continue to give us solid minutes. This is the type of effort it takes to beat a team like Berry and win championships. I'm so proud of all my girls."

Lauren Phillips came off the bench to score 13 points for the Lady Vikings and Christy Manning nailed a pair of 3-point baskets late in the game to help keep Berry within striking distance. She finished with 11 points.

The Lady Flames will find out more about their first-round opponent in the SSAC Tournament after regular-season play concludes this weekend.