PIQUA — Edison State Community College sophomores Maddy Bakosh, Audra Schaub and Allison Siefring have already written a legacy beyond anyone who wore the Chargers jerseys.

Now, they have one more chance to add to it.

Edison State, 29-0 and the 12th seed in the NJCAA National Tournament will play fifth seed Bryant & Stratton (Wisconsin) in the opening round at 1 p.m. Wednesday at Port Huron.

What the trio has already accomplished in their two seasons is almost beyond words.

“They are 58-3 in their two seasons,” Edison State coach Tim McMahon said. “They won two OCCAC championships. They advanced to nationals twice.”

Not anything any of the three expected when they made the decision to play for Edison State, although all three came from successful high school programs.

“It really is amazing when you think about it,” Bakosh, who played for Springboro in high school said. “It has been so much fun.”

Both Siefring, who played for St. Henry and Schaub, who played for Wapakoneta, share those sentiments.

“Of course I didn’t expect it,” Schaub said. “But, it has been a great experience.”

And all three were watching the selection show Tuesday when Edison State received the 12th seed. The other unbeaten team received the third seed.

And then a member head of the selection committee explained that Edison just didn’t have enough quality wins.

“Of course, it gives you a little chip on your shoulder,” Bakosh said. “It motivates you.”

Siefring agreed.

“We are going to go there and prove them wrong,” Siefring said. “We are going to show them how good we are.”

Schaub took it in stride.

“We were hoping to be seeded higher,” she said. “But, that’s okay. We will go there and prove them wrong.”

McMahon didn’t agree with committee’s decision either.

“I just don’t think they really looked into us,” he said. “I think we have plenty of quality wins. I think our schedule was pretty good. But, we have a chance to show that.”

When Edison received the 12th seed during the show, photos of Bakosh, Siefring and Schaub came on the screen.

“It felt like a big deal to me,” Siefring said. “King of like the NCAA selection show.”

Schaub only had one suggestion.

“I wasn’t expecting that,” she said. “It wasn’t the best picture of me, but that is Okay.”

Ironically, Edison is featuring a school with the same name as its last opponent — just a different state.

Edison had beaten Bryant & Stratton (Ohio) to get to the national tournament.

There are a lot of similarities in the two teams.

The Bobcats average 90.8 points and allow 56.o. Two of their losses were to Kirkwood — the top seed in the tournament.

Edison averages 95.2 points and allows 59.

Both teams featured balanced lineups.

La’Janique Perry-Ellis leads the Bobcats with 19.8 points, 5.9 assists, 4.3 steals and 5.6 rebounds as a 5-9 sophomore guard.

Myisha Malone, a 5-5 freshman, is the other double-figure scorer with 10.8 points.

Maxine Pawlowske, a 5-5 freshman, averages 9.1 points and 6-2 freshman Teya Maas averages 9.1 points and 81. rebounds.

Mondrea Williams, a 5-11 freshman, averages 8.8 points and 7.0 rebounds, 5-11 freshman Mikaila Robertson averages 8.5 points and 5.2 rebounds, 5-9 freshman Lacyia Hill averages 8.4 points and 6-4 sophomore Faith Watkins pulls down 5.5 rebounds.

“My assistant coach (Doug Martin) already watched two films of them Tuesday night while I was working on other things,” McMahon said. “They are going to come out and press us hard. The key will be handling their pressure. I know they are 6-4, 6-2. They have a little more size than us, but I think we are more athletic.”

Edison State also features a balanced attack.

Kailia Johnson, a 5-8 sophomore was the OCCAC Player of the Year and averages 21.6 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.0 steals.

Whitney Staggs, a 5-10 sophomore was the the district tournament MVP and averages 18.2 points and 7.4 rebounds.

Bakosh, a 5-8 sophomore, averages 9.1 points and leads the team with 4.6 assists and 2.2 steals per game.

Siefring, a 5-6 sophomore averages nearly a double-double with 14.8 points, 9.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game.

Schaub, a 5-4 sophomore, was named to the OCCAC all-defensive team.

“Who do you try and stop?” McMahon said. “They tried to stop Kailah (Johnson) in the championship game and other girls stepped up.”

For the Chargers, it is just nice to be playing in nationals.

Two years ago, the tournament was postponed due to Covid — as well as last year’s season.

“That was terrible two years ago,” Bakosh said. “At this point, we are just happy to have the opportunity to go to nationals and play.”

McMahon isn’t celebrating just yet.

“I will believe it when I get to my hotel room in Port Huron and see games are being played,” he said. “One of the things I t old those three girls is you have a second chance. It is not often in life you get a second chance and they have it.”

To add to a legacy that can’t be topped.