LEWISTON, ID – The No. 23 LC State Men’s Basketball rolled past eighth-seeded Northwest (Wash.) in the quarterfinal round of the 2026 Cascade Conference Men’s Basketball Championship, presented by U.S. Bank, and was the lone host to win their first game of the tournament. Seeds 2-4 were all upset on their home courts, so the Warriors will face fifth-seeded the College of Idaho on Saturday in the semifinal.
LC State will take on the defending NAIA National Champions at 7 p.m. in the P1FCU Activity Center. Tickets are on sale now at lcwarriors.com/tickets.
THE MATCHUP
The Warriors split the regular season with the Yotes with an 87-67 victory in Caldwell and 68-66 loss in Lewiston. Brandon Suber led LC State with 18 points at C of I, while Utrillo Morris and Dougie Peoples each scored 14 to lead the Yotes in Lewiston. Peoples drained a go-ahead 3-pointer in the final seconds to secure the win.
The only NAIA programs in Idaho faced off in last season’s CCC title game and the Yotes came away with an 86-69 win.
THE WARRIORS (22-7, 15-5)
The Warriors earned their spot in the CCC semifinal after an 83-52 win over Northwest. LC State shot 51.7% from the floor and tallied 12 3-pointers to go with a dominant 42 rebounds. Dylan Skaife and Peyton Nordland each scored 16 points to lead the offense, and Dallon Morgan notched a 15-point, 12-rebound double-double.
LC State took the CCC by storm this season and emerged as the top team in the standings. The Warriors won eight of their final nine regular-season games and used the depth of their lineup to their advantage.
The Warrior defense is one of the best in the NAIA and ranks seventh in the nation in scoring defense with 66.4 points allowed per game. LC State leads the CCC in 3-point percentage defense (30.5) and is second on the offensive side of the 3-ball with a 38.7% mark.
Senior John Lustig cemented himself as one of the best to wear an LC State uniform, but even a six-game hiatus due to injury didn’t slow the team down. Sophomore Skaife became one of the CCC’s biggest scoring threats from 3-point range, and newcomers made an immediate impact. Seniors Grayson Hunt and Peyton Nordland stepped into their leadership roles flawlessly and provided support across the court.
Lustig leads LC State in scoring and rebounding this season with 15.3 points and 7.1 rebounds per contest. He ranks second in the conference in field goal percentage (57.5) and fifth in rebounding. Fellow four-year senior Hunt is fourth in field goal percentage (56.9) and transfer Jamare’ Childs is fourth in 3-point percentage (44.2).
Skaife leads the team from the 3-point line with 80 triples this season and Childs is not far behind with 61. The pair have provided clutch baskets throughout the season, including a massive 29-point game by Skaife earlier this season.
Brandon Suber has been a spark off the bench with his team-leading 92 assists and 10.6 points per game, and Trevor Manning leads the team in steals with 20. He has aided the team with clutch 3-pointers and defense down the stretch. Senior Nordland has been key on the leadership front, along with 8.4 points per game and stellar defense at the perimeter.
THE YOTES (20-9, 14-6)
The Yotes had an up-and-down regular season compared to years past and earned the No. 5 seed in the CCC tournament this season. C of I closed out the conference schedule with a 73-67 loss to Southern Oregon, then defeated fourth-seeded Oregon Tech 74-70 to advance to the CCC semifinal. Peoples led the Yotes with 17 points and Morris added 16.
C of I leads the conference in field goal percentage defense (42.0) and blocks per game (4.1) and is second in scoring (81.6), assists per game (14.7), scoring defense (71.1).
Peoples leads the Yotes in scoring season with 14.9 points per game on a team-leading 64 3-pointers. He is shooting 38.1% from behind the arc and 40.1% from the floor. Rey Johnston is second on the team in scoring with 12.9 points per game and leads the group on the boards with 5.4 rebounds per game.
Morris leads the CCC in total assists this season with 169 and is third in steals with 47. He is a scoring threat with 12.7 points per game and is shooting 50.8% from the floor. Chance Winter has the most blocks in the conference with 57.
THE DETAILS
The Warriors face the College of Idaho on Saturday at 7 p.m. in the P1FCU Activity Center. The winner will advance to play in the CCC title game on Mar. 2.
