Southern Oregon's Sierra Scheppele puts up a 3-pointer during Saturday's Cascade Conference tournament win over College of Idaho. (Photo by Al Case / Ashland Daily)

Raiders surge past College of Idaho to become only unbeaten team in NAIA and first to 30 wins

ASHLAND — As the 30-0 record indicates, Southern Oregon’s ability to finish remains unmatched. The floodgates didn’t open until late Saturday night at Lithia Motors Pavilion, but when it happened, the No. 2-ranked Raiders had College of Idaho underwater in a hurry on their way to a 66-46 win.

Up six a minute into the fourth quarter, SOU bombarded C of I with a 22-3 run that lasted nearly eight minutes in the semifinal round of the Cascade Conference Championships. The defense never wavered while buying time for the scorers to come alive, restraining the Yotes to the tune of 27% shooting.

SOU, now the last unbeaten team in the NAIA and the first to 30 wins, set up a championship game rematch with No. 25-ranked Lewis-Clark State (Idaho). The teams will meet in the CCC final for the third time in four seasons at 7 p.m. Tuesday in Ashland as the Raiders attempt to go back-to-back for the first time in 22 years.

Senior forward Morgan Baird delivered nine of her 16 points in the fourth and pulled down seven rebounds against the No. 5-seeded Yotes, whose season is likely over at 17-12. Bridgette McIntyre helped bury them by hitting both of her 3-point attempts in the final period to finish with 11 points, five rebounds and four assists.

“This was a great team win and all-around effort,” SOU coach Carlotta Kloppenburg-Pruitt said. “We were locked into the game plan for 40 minutes on both ends of the floor.”

That was especially apparent on the defensive end, where the Raiders had C of I stuck on 13 points with two minutes remaining in the first half. A few consecutive buckets got the Yotes within six, but Sierra Scheppele’s 3-pointer stretched the lead to 29-20 at the break.

The Yotes hung around in the third as SOU misfired on 15 of its 21 attempts. Anna Mooney’s triple with 8:58 left in the fourth cut it to 42-36 before the Raiders caught fire.

During the push, which Keeley Wright jump-started by weaving inside for a layup and later grabbing an offensive board that led to two free throws — SOU scored on nine of 11 possessions with two 3-pointers from McIntyre, another from Scheppele and a Baird three-point play.

Scheppele scored eight points off the bench, supplementing shaky shooting nights but solid all-around performances from Meghan McIntyre (8 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists) and Emma Schmerbach (6 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals).

Kylie Waltermeyer led the Yotes with 16 points, five rebounds and three assists. Despite their shooting woes, they hung around with disciplined defense and by committing only eight turnovers.

Including the regular season and tournament, the Raiders have won four CCC titles and since Kloppenburg-Pruitt took over in 2021-22 and clinched each of them with wins over LC State. The Warriors advanced to the final by winning 63-47 at Oregon Tech, where they outscored the Owls 22-9 in the fourth quarter.

“Raider Nation was awesome tonight and we’ll need them again on Tuesday,” Kloppenburg-Pruitt said.