Sarah Bregg had a bunion on her foot a year ago. It was enough to shelve her for the entire basketball season at Onondaga Junior College in Syracuse, N.Y.

One surgery later, though, the native of tiny Phoenix, N.Y., is back and enjoying a sophomore season that has culminated exactly as she'd hoped.

Bregg and her teammates are finishing up in Rochester, site of the NJCAA Division III women's basketball tournament, Thursday-Saturday at URC Regional Sports Center. They earned the right by finishing as Region 3 champions.

It's Bregg's second go-around in Rochester. She was here two years ago, when her team also reached the national tournament. Bregg likes it in Rochester, and also appreciates how this basketball trip starts. The team lands in Minneapolis, then makes a bee-line to The Mall of America, where Bregg says she and her teammates are in shopping heaven.

Two years ago that slice of heaven got elongated, as many of her teammates became separated and then lost in the world's largest shopping mall. Not that any of them really minded, though.

"There are stores galore there for athletes and females," Bregg said. "We were there for a couple of hours and about 30 minutes longer than we were supposed to the last time, because some of us got lost."

Once in Rochester, it's down to business for Bregg — a 5-foot-4 reserve shooting guard — and the rest of the Onondaga team. The Lazers, who have been to the national tournament four times in the last six years, including three of them now in Rochester, have their eyes on a championship. Their highest finish came in 2010 when then they were defeated by Madison Technical College in the title game.
Onondaga is the No. 2 seed, behind two-time defending champion Rock Valley, Ill. Rock Valley is 26-5, Onondaga 29-4. The Lazers begin the tournament at 8 p.m. Thursday against No. 7 seed and 24-1 Northland (Thief River Falls).

"There is no reason why we can't go all the way this time," said Bregg, whose team landed fourth when it was here in 2012. "We can get up and down the floor with no problem. Not many teams can run with us."
Mike Wheeler, in his 12th year as Lazers coach, also says his team has a shot at the national title. But he's not ready to look past anyone in a tournament which he says is annual very strong. That includes Northland.

"To have lost just one game all year like Northland, and still just be a No. 7 seed, that's something else," Wheeler said.
As for Bregg, she's just glad to be a part of things again on this basketball team. It was a painful year not suiting up last season. She's loved being back with her teammates and friends.

"I missed basketball last year," she said. "I went to all of the home games, and even some of the away games. It was a big negative not being a part of the team bonding, and the actually playing. There is an adrenaline rush when you're out there.

"We're here to make more memories, sitting around and dancing in the locker room," Bregg said. "But our main focus is on winning that title."