At 31-0, No. 2-ranked Raiders will become first undefeated team in CCC history to enter NAIA national tourney

ASHLAND — In front of a packed-in Lithia Motors Pavilion crowd, the No. 2-ranked Southern Oregon women’s basketball team stamped a historic run through the circuit by defeating No. 25 Lewis-Clark State (Idaho), 56-49, in the title game of the Cascade Conference Championships for the third time in four seasons.

At 31-0, they’ll be the first team in CCC history to enter the NAIA National Tournament with an unbeaten record.

They have their bench to thank for keeping them perfect. With offense at a premium between the star-laden starting lineups, the Raider reserves keyed a 16-2 run that spanned the end of the first and beginning of the second quarters, putting SOU up 24-8 and the lead on its side for good.

Mallory Williams came on to shoot 4-of-6 from 3-point range, finishing with 12 points and five rebounds. Bridgette McIntyre scored 15, hitting 5-of-6 at the free-throw line in the fourth to keep the No. 3-seeded Warriors (25-6) at bay after they got within three in the fourth quarter.

“I’m incredibly proud of the toughness of our team and our bench was incredible,” SOU coach Carlotta Kloppenburg-Pruitt said. “This is what you would expect in a championship game – LC State is a really good team that will make noise in the national tournament and every possession was critical.”

Kloppenburg-Pruitt’s teams have captured five CCC titles, regular season and tournament included, since she took over in 2021-22. Each has been clinched with a win over LC State. For the third time in as many tournament championship meetings, the Raiders stuck the Warriors with a season-low point total.

LC State, after trailing 40-31 at the end of three quarters, made its push in the fourth on the back of Sitara Byrd, who logged a team-high 12 points. She hit both of her 3-pointers during the period, the second of which trimmed SOU’s edge to 42-39 with seven minutes left.

Two Emma Schmerbach buckets kept the Raiders afloat, and Williams’ fourth and final triple brought the crowd to a fever pitch and the lead to 49-41 at the four-minute mark.

Tatum Brager provided a last gasp for the Warriors with 29 seconds left, hitting a 3 that got them within five while absorbing a foul. She missed the ensuing free throw, though, and McIntyre’s perfect trip to the line wrapped the outcome.

Twenty-one turnovers ultimately sunk the Warriors, who also shot just 35% from the field. Ellie Sander — the senior all-star guard who set a building scoring record with 36 points two months ago — was limited to three buckets.

SOU’s starters combined to hit at only 29% from the field (12-of-41), but, led by Williams, the reserves contributed 25 points on 20 shots. Schmerbach amassed eight points, six boards, three assists and two steals, and Meghan McIntyre distributed five assists.

The Warriors matched SOU’s defensive intensity behind Darian Herring’s seven blocks and three steals.

They’ll be in the field, too, when the 64-team NAIA National Tournament bracket is revealed at 4 p.m. Thursday.

The Raiders have already been named a host of the tourney’s opening weekend. They’ll play a Round of 64 game at 5:30 p.m. on March 14 and, if they advance, a Round of 32 game at 5 p.m. on March 15.

“We had another great crowd and it gave us awesome energy,” Kloppenburg-Pruitt said. “This team is special and we’re excited to continue to get better and go into the national tournament ready to go.”