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Photos by Andy Atkinson The Raiders' Monica Fisher (23) rips down a rebound over Western's Brandyn Lohrman (13). After slow start, Raiders charge into title contest By RANDY HAMMERICKSEN ASHLAND -- After cold shooting at the outset, the Southern Oregon University's women's basketball team warmed up to the task of advancing to the finals of the Cascade Conference playoffs. The Raiders, ranked No. 2 nationally in women's NAIA Division II, missed their first seven shots, 15 of their initial 17 and fell behind by eight points. But tenacious man-to-man defense and a running game brought them back for a 60-43 win over Western Baptist in the semifinals of the Cascade playoffs at McNeal Pavilion. Southern Oregon (25-4) will host Northwest Nazarene College at 7:30 Monday in the championship game. The Raiders and NNC tied for the Cascade regular-season title with 10-2 records. They split two games during the regular season. "It's going to be a tough game for us," said point guard Ali Richards, a sophomore from Phoenix High. "We'll need to start quicker than we did tonight or we might get buried." Western Baptist, behind 6-foot-1 center Cassee Steed, had leads of 8-0 and 10-3. Steed scored eight of the Warriors' first 11 points. Southern Oregon coach Shirley Huyett reacts to the Oregon. "They have some big girls, and they are tough," said SOU center Nada Janackovic, the Cascade Conference player of the year, who scored 17 points and pulled down 12 rebounds to lead the Raiders in both departments. "But we had an advantage over them because we're quicker." Janackovic made 6-of-14 shots from the field and 5-of-6 free throws. Wing Lindsay Taylor scored 10 points and had nine rebounds for the Raiders, point guard Tiwana Merritt scored 10 points and had three assists and shooting guard Lauren Mohan contributed nine points on 3-of-6 shooting from 3-point range. Southern Oregon, which is headed for its third straight NAIA national tournament based on its No. 2 ranking, went on a 17-6 run to wrest the lead away from Western Baptist. The Raiders led 26-23 at halftime, and an 11-0 run gave them a 39-28 lead with 10:43 to play. Taylor scored nine straight points -- two 3-pointers and three free throws -- as the Raiders built their lead to 51-35 with 5:32 remaining. "This was one of my better games," said Taylor. "I felt pretty focused and comfortable all night. My shot felt good. "We got down early, but we knew we would step up. We needed to." Huyett said she was relatively sure the Raiders would overcome their cold-shooting start. "I wouldn't say I panicked on the outside," she said. "On the inside, I was just wondering when we were going to start making shots." Huyett said she was pleased with the performances of Mohan from the outside, Janackovic and center Denise Berry inside and Taylor all over the court. "Lauren has been a point guard all of her life until now," said Huyett. "I recruited her as a point guard, but I knew she could shoot it. She's one of our best shooters, and we need her out there. As soon as she started knocking down 3-pointers, it changed their defense fast." "I thought Lindsay Taylor had a great game," said Huyett, noting her strong defense against Western Baptist's best outside player, Christy Hansen, in addition to her near double-double. "Nada (Janackovic) was as consistent as ever, and Denise (Berry) had a good game despite being sick all week," said Huyett. "We got her some rest in the first half. That helped her." Hansen led Western Baptist with 19 points, and Steed added 12 points and nine rebounds. Rosey Ball, a 6-1 post player, pulled down 13 rebounds for the Warriors. WESTERN BAPTIST (15-18) E. Williams 0-5 0-2 0, Hansen 8-17 2-3 19, Ball 1-9 0-2 2, Patton 2-6 0-2 4, Steed 4-10 4-9 12, Smith 0-4 0-0 0, Brungardt 0-1 2-4 2, Lohrman 1-4 0-0 2, Berglund 0-2 0-0 2, A. Williams 1-2 0-0 0. Totals: 17-60 8-22 43. NO. 2 SOUTHERN OREGON (25-4) Richards 0-1 1-2 1, Janackovic 6-14 5-6 12, Curran 0-5 0-0 0, Berry 2-6 2-2 6, Taylor 3-6 2-3 10, Fisher 2-3 0-0 4, Mohan 3-7 0-0 9, England 1-10-0 3, Merritt 3-8 4-4 10, Sapulding 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 20-51 14-17 60. Halftime--S. Oregon 26, W. Baptist 23. 3-point goals--W. Baptist 1-12 (Williams 0-2, Hansen 1-4, Ball 0-1, Patton 0-1, Smith 0-2, Brungardt 0-1, Lohrman 0-1), S. Oregon 6-18 (Janackovic 0-1, Curran 0-5, Taylor 2-5, Mohan 3-6, England 1-1). Fouled out--E. Williams. Rebounds--W. Baptist 41 (Ball 13), S. Oregon 44 (Janackovic 12). Assists--W. Baptist 8 (Ball, Lohrman 2), S. Oregon 18 (Richards 4). Total fouls--W. Baptist 16, S. Oregon 14. A--1,012. Today's Sports Index Mail Tribune Copyright� The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, OR U.S.A.