Lady Lions frustrate Easton

by Tony Vehrs<br>Herald Staff Writer
| January 15, 2007 8:00 PM

MOSES LAKE - The Lady Lions' defense was simply too much for Easton to handle as Moses Lake Christian Academy beat the visiting Lady Jaguars 59-24 Saturday night.

The Lady Lions used an aggressive, trapping defense to take a 20-4 lead after the first quarter of play and never looked back on their way to improving to 3-1 in league play.

After Easton tied the game at two in the first minute of play, the MLCA defense stepped up and shut down the Jaguars' offense. Easton was able to score just once more in the quarter, with the Lady Lions often creating turnovers before Easton could get down the floor and into their half-court offense.

"We want to play aggressive defense and create off turnovers," said MLCA coach Scott Dietzen. "We're feeling real confident in our defense."

The Lady Lions accomplished that, scoring 22 points off turnovers in the game. Had MLCA continued to use their full-court press beyond the first quarter of play, that number likely would have been much higher.

As the game progressed, the Lady Lions settled into their half-court offense, running it efficiently and scoring from both down in the paint as well as on mid-range opportunities.

MLCA moved the ball around well to create open shots, picking up 14 assists on 22 made field goals in the contest.

"We were able to get it inside and work on some things," said Dietzen of his team's execution on offense.

"We've just got to be able to finish better," the Lady Lions' coach added. "We're getting a lot of good looks inside."

Defensively, MLCA held Easton to just 14 points through three quarters of play, denying the Lady Jaguars inside scoring opportunities and holding them to 19 percent shooting from the field for the game.

The Lady Lions controlled the paint, out rebounding Easton 64-33 and recording six blocks on the night.

Lindsay Dietzen led MLCA with 13 points, nine of those coming in the first quarter. Heidi Sandberg had 12 points for the Lady Lions, while Chelsea Allsbrook added 11 points in the win. Sandberg led the team with 17 rebounds, and Bethany Verhage picked up 12 boards for MLCA.

With the victory, the Lady Lions improved their season record to 7-6.