MLCA outworks Soap Lake

Lions up-tempo offense holds off Eagles' comeback

SOAP LAKE — Both teams came out with guns blazing, but Moses Lake Christian Academy just had more firepower than the Soap Lake Eagles.

Led by senior Elijah Timofeyev, the MLCA Lions dove after loose balls and hauled in offensive rebounds to win 78-71 Tuesday night. Timofeyev grabbed 16 rebounds and joined Derek Dietzen and Josh Munoz in scoring 18 points apiece.

What ended as a close contest seemed poised to be a blowout.

Soap Lake stayed close early, but in the second quarter MLCA guards penetrated the Eagles' zone, setting up easy layups for their big men. The Lions took a 10-point lead into halftime.

MLCA came out running to start the third quarter, often scoring less than 10 seconds after inbounding the ball. A mid-range jumper by junior David Timofeyev gave MLCA a 20-point lead with 1:40 left in the quarter.

But the Eagles did not go quietly.

Sophomore forward Chad Meiries' 18-footer at the buzzer capped a 9-0 Eagles run, pulling the score to 60-49 headed into the final quarter.

"We were stuck at 60," said MLCA head coach Royce Nutting. "They just didn't give up and we missed a couple of shots."

The Eagles' charge did not end there. Thanks to solid defense and Lions' miscues, Soap Lake pulled to within four, at 62-58 with 5:20 left.

It was as close as they would get, as the Lions' offense found its blistering pace from the first half.

After a timeout, MLCA went on an 8-2 run, and the 10-point lead was enough to hold on.

Soap Lake got an outstanding performance from sophomore forward Micah Laplante, who played stellar defense the entire game and supplied key baskets down the stretch. Laplante finished with 23 points. Meiries added 18.

The loss drops second place Soap Lake to 3-5 in league and 7-8 overall. Their next game is against Easton-Thorp (6-9) Thursday.

The win puts distance between first-place MLCA and the rest of the North Central B South. The Lions' next game is against Pateros (10-3) Thursday.