SALEM, OR – The stage is set for an all-Warrior title game in the 2026 Cascade Conference Women’s Basketball Championship, presented by U.S. Bank. Third-seeded No. 17 LC State will take on host and top-seeded No. 20 Corban (Ore.) on Monday in Salem.
The trip to the title game marks the fifth straight for the LC State women, who are playing for the CCC’s second automatic bid into the national tournament.
THE MATCHUP
LC State and Corban split the regular season as the Warriors in red picked up a 97-77 win in Salem and the Warriors in gold earned a 70-64 victory in Lewiston. Sitara Byrd led LC State in Salem with a 26-point, 11-rebound double-double while Jenna Albrecht led Corban to victory with 19 points in Lewiston.
The Warrior teams last faced off in the postseason in 2023 when LC State defeated Corban 91-48 in the conference quarterfinal.
THE LC STATE WARRIORS (23-7, 15-5)
LC State earned an impressive semifinal victory over second-seeded No. 14 Eastern by a final of 70-57. The LC Warriors trailed at the half, but a massive third quarter propelled the team into the CCC title game.
LC State has proven to be one of the most versatile teams in the conference both defensively and offensively this season. Four LC Warriors are averaging double digits in scoring and three are grabbing more than four rebounds per game.
The LC State Warriors lead the CCC in steals per game (11.8) and are second in 3-point percentage (35.0), field goal percentage (46.6), scoring (77.6) and assists per game (16.7).
Darian Herring has been one of the top defensive players in the CCC all season. The junior ranks second all-time at LC State in blocks with 212 and leads the conference this season with 65. She is second in rebounding with 8.8 per game and is fifth in assists with 102. Offensively, she is averaging 12.1 points per game with a 50.3% field goal percentage.
Lindsey Wilson is at the top of the conference and eighth in the NAIA in field goal percentage (61.5), and Kendall Wallace is second in 3-point percentage (42.9), giving LC State scoring options from all over the court. Byrd can score from nearly anywhere and leads the Warriors with 13.9 points per game on a 50.6% field goal percentage and 41.7% 3-point percentage. She is averaging 6.2 rebounds per game along with 70 steals to make her one of the most dynamic players in the conference.
Payton Hymas has orchestrated the offense all season long and ranks second in the CCC with 124 assists. She is also second in steals with 74 and is second on the team with 12.9 points per game with a 50.2% field goal percentage. Senior Camden Barger is third on the team with 69 assists and has been key to the offensive strategy as well and has contributed baskets in clutch moments for the LC Warriors.
Tatum Brager, Wallace and Byrd combine for a massive threat from 3-point range. Wallace has knocked down a team-best 63 triples, Brager has 50 and Byrd is right behind with 48.
THE CORBAN WARRIORS (25-5, 16-4)
The Corban Warriors handled fifth-seeded Oregon Tech in the CCC semifinal with an 87-71 victory behind 29 points from Jersey Huerta. Corban knocked down 11 3-pointers in the contest that it dominated from the start to advance to the title game.
Corban leads the CCC in scoring (80.8), 3-point percentage (35.1), 3-point percentage defense (27.3) and assists per game (17.4).
Huerta has been one of the top scorers in the conference this season and ranks third in points per game with 18.3. She is third in assists with 118 and fourth in free goal percentage at 84.6%.
Fellow newcomer Emilia Bishop also ranks among the CCC’s best with the third best rebounding average in the conference (8.0). She is fourth in field goal percentage (53.1).
Albrecht has been a massive scoring threat down the stretch with 13.9 points per game with a 50.5% mark from the field.
THE DETAILS
The conference title game is set for Monday at 5:30 p.m. in Salem. LC State is playing for the CCC’s second automatic bid into the national tournament. Corban earned the first as the regular-season champion, so should Corban win the tournament, the second bid will go to the No. 2 seed in Eastern Oregon.
The contest will be streamed for free on the Urban Edge Network and on the radio through AM 950 KOZE. LC State will host a watch party in the P1FCU Activity Center.
