CCC CHAMPIONSHIPS PRESENTED BY U.S. BANK
FEB. 27 – QUARTERFINALS
(1) Southern Oregon 71, (8) Corban 55
(2) Oregon Tech 59, (7) Evergreen 50
(3) Lewis-Clark State 78, (6) College of Idaho 57
(4) Eastern Oregon 83, (5) Bushnell 62
MARCH 1 – SEMIFINALS
(1) Southern Oregon 53, (4) Eastern Oregon 44
(3) Lewis-Clark State 75, (2) Oregon Tech 60
MONDAY – CHAMPIONSHIP
(1) Southern Oregon 59, (3) Lewis-Clark State 53
ASHLAND, Ore. – Nine days after defeating No. 11-ranked Lewis-Clark State College for the regular-season title, No. 18 Southern Oregon was all the way up for a prove-it game in the final round of the Cascade Conference Championship presented by U.S. Bank.
The Raiders left no doubt in their 17th consecutive victory, hanging on 59-53 to claim another trophy Monday night at Lithia Motors Pavilion. Senior forward Kami Walk had 20 points and nine rebounds – the same line she logged when SOU won the 2022 title at LC State – and hit six consecutive free throws in the final 28 seconds to seal it.
If the Raiders (27-4 overall) felt slighted after landing behind the Warriors (25-5) in the final NAIA Top 25 poll despite finishing ahead of them in the standings, their response was optimal. They held LC State to its lowest point total of the season by forcing 19 turnovers, four of which were committed during a 17-4 run to open the third quarter that extended a one-point halftime lead to 45-31.
"This team has been so resilient all season, and to finish this out the way we did against a really good LC State team showed a lot of toughness," SOU head coach Carlotta Kloppenburg Pruitt said.
Warriors guard Callie Stevens, the two-time CCC Player of the Year, finished with 20 points, but the Raiders limited her to 2-of-9 shooting after the break. Walk started the decisive push with a bucket inside to open the second half and a couple possessions later knocked down a 3-pointer that beat the shot-clock buzzer. SOU point guard Meghan McIntyre went on to score six of her 17 during the run, finishing 7-of-12 from the field.
Four fourth-quarter 3s brought the Warriors back. Walk's second triple put SOU up 53-44 with four minutes to play, but a Raider scoring drought ensued and 3-pointers from Ellie Sander and Stevens made it a three-point game with 56 seconds left to play. After Stevens was fouled beyond the arc and hit all three of her free throws with 16 seconds remaining, SOU's lead was down to 55-53.
Walk was cool at the line, though, and two perfect trips ended the Warriors' hopes. They fell in the championship for the third consecutive season.
SOU's league-best defense was the biggest reason why. Emma Schmerbach sparked it off the bench with four steals, two of which turned into layups, to go with three assists. Clara Robbins held her ground inside with six points, seven rebounds and four steals of her own, and Mallory Williams was key on the other end with a pair of 3-pointers.
In addition to the Raiders' plus-four turnover advantage, 12 offensive rebounds gave them nine more chances than the Warriors. LC State became the 10th consecutive SOU visitor to score fewer than 60 points.
"We knew we didn't pressure them as much as we could have the last time around and this team really bought into the game plan to ramp up our intensity on the defensive end," Kloppenburg-Pruitt said.
The tournament title was the Raiders' eighth in team history. They were appearing in the final for the sixth time in the last eight postseasons.
Both teams will be hosting when the NAIA Championships begin March 15-16 with the first and second rounds. The 64-team bracket will be revealed at 5 p.m. Thursday, and SOU's first-round game time is set for 6 p.m. inside Lithia Motors Pavilion.