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The road begins tonight By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings The Southern Oregon University women's basketball team is delighted to have a berth to the NAIA Division II National Championships sewn up. But that hasn't quenched their thirst for a second consecutive Cascade Conference tournament championship, head coach Kevin Wilson said. "We want to win the conference tournament, that's our goal," Wilson pronounced Monday. "We want to be the undisputed champs." Raider senior guard Sara Marks (right) goes for the steal but gets a jump ball in an early-season home game against Eastern Oregon. The Raiders open the CCC tourney tonight against Warner Pacific. Ashalnd Daily Tidings/CHRIS MILLER The Raiders (19-9, 16-2) begin that quest tonight when Warner Pacific (11-20, 8-10) rolls into town for a 7:30 p.m. first-round tipoff. The winner will play either Eastern Oregon (13-12, 11-7) or Cascade (20-11, 11-7) in the semifinals of the eight-team tourney, Friday at 7:30 p.m., with the championship game scheduled for Feb. 3. Southern locked up a national playoff berth, the CCC regular season championship and home court advantage throughout the league tournament with a win over Albertson Feb. 15. Wilson says the team's goal now is to gain the highest seed possible in the national tournament (March 12-18 in Sioux City, Iowa). To do that, Wilson says, his team must repeat as tourney champions. "If we go into the tournament having won 18 of our last 20 games, it might give us a better draw," Wilson said. Last season, the Raiders finished third in the final league standings, then slashed their way through three conference playoff games to earn the CCC's only berth to nationals. Their national championship hopes didn't last long, however. SOU drew national powerhouse Concordia (Neb.) in the first round - a decidedly poor draw, as it turned out - and was promptly booted, 71-55. That unceremonious demise gave the Raiders a new goal prior to this season:Toughen up (national tournament play was very physical, according to SOU players and coaches alike), and earn a higher seed and, thus, a more favorable draw. With a maximum of three games left, the Raiders are very close to accomplishing both goals. The Raiders, who were unranked entering the 2002 tournament, are currently No. 20 and climbing. A win in the tournament championship game could move them even higher. First, however, SOU has to take care of a Warner Pacific team that took the Raiders to overtime back on Jan. 31 before finally succumbing, 84-77. "That was kind of in the middle of our bleeding time," Wilson said. "Now, we're playing pretty well." Wilson said Warner Pacific has the best post in the conference - 6-3 Shawna Damon. Damon, the reigning conference Freshman of the Year, is ranks third in the CCC in scoring (16.9 points per game) and 13th for rebounding (6.9). Warner Pacific also has junior guard Joy Best, who ranks 13th for scoring (12.4) thanks mostly to an outside touch that has led to a league-best 73 3-point makes. Wilson says Damon will provide SOU greatest challenge, but he's confident the Raiders will be able to run. "(Damon's) going to present a problem, but I think we're a lot faster," Wilson said. Tonight could be the last home game for five Raider seniors: Point guard Sara Marks; guard Kelley Dexter; forward Kara Magee-Arick; forward Amy Tangedahl; post Ashley Nunley; and guard/forward Adrienne Dolezal. Marks is a top contender for Cascade Conference MVP honors in this week's balloting based on ranking second in the loop for scoring (17.2), first for steals (3.18), second for assists (5.39) and sixth for free throw percentage (.786). The 5-6 floor general is also bearing down on Wendi Lamb's top school season records for steals (has 89, needs 18 to break) and assists (has 151, needs 35 to break). The Eastern Utah JC transfer, last year's loop MVP runner-up, is also 35 points away from moving into 10th place on SOU's career scoring list. A lengthy Raider post-season run may also allow Magee-Arick, an all-star forward, to break the SOU season record for most 3-point field goals. As a result of five 3-point makes over the weekend, the 6-3 sharpshooter enters the week second in the conference with 65 makes, five away from surpassing the top SOU mark originally set by Kelli Kerns in 1991-92 and later tied by Megan Winchester in 1996-97. LINKS: DAILY TIDINGS: Main | News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Opinion | Columnists | AP News | Subscribe | Archives | Weather | Classifieds | Contact Us | Privacy REVELS: Main | Calendar | Dining | Movies | T.V. OTHER: Road Cams Copyright 2003 Ashland Daily Tidings 541.482.3456. 1661 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland, OR 97520. Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. - Advertisers -