Warden beats Connell

Warden 46, Connell 44; Moses Lake Christian Academy 50, Cascade Christian 21

WARDEN — Warden’s Cougars boys basketball team made history last night in their matchup with Connell.

But it took a shot from five-feet away by a young man who travelled 2,000 miles to Warden only 48 hours earlier to cement this moment in history.

Arturo Reyes, back from a holiday break in Mexico, hit a five-foot shot with seven seconds left to give Warden a 46-44 win over Connell.

 I don’t even recall us beating Connell, even for years before I coached,” Warden coach Wes Richins said. “The boys felt really good especially after having some close losses over the last few weeks. We’re starting to jell and playing a little bit better. It was a good game for us.”

Warden trailed 15-13 after the first quarter, 27-26 at halftime, and 39-34 after three quarters.

Warden scored the first seven points in the fourth quarter to take a 41-39 lead and then the two teams traded proverbial punches throughout the rest of the game until Reyes’ heroics and a Connell turnover at the buzzer.

The Cougars’ Eric Bates had six of his 18 points in the fourth quarter while Nathan Brown got four points before finishing with 17 points.

Bates also had six rebounds and four blocked shots, while Brown nabbed six rebounds.

“Our student body came out and it was a rocking house,” Richins said. “They got loud and it was a fun atmosphere and that’s what we are looking for. They definitely contributed to the victory.”

Warden (5-6, 2-1 in South Central Athletic Conference play) hopes the win can be the springboard it needs to make it to the postseason.

Moses Lake Christian Academy 50, Cascade Christian 21

MOSES LAKE — Moses Lake Christian Academy jumped out to an early 13-2 lead en route to a 50-21 win over Cascade Christian last night.

It took a while for the Lions (6-2, 3-1 in 1B Northwest Athletic Conference play) to get roaring.

The Academy slapped a full-court 2-1-2 press on Cascade Christian to build the early lead. They kept the press on and expanded the lead to 30-12 by halftime.

“We were quicker than they were and we were getting two or three traps before halfcourt,” Lions coach Duke Wood said. “They didn’t break the press very well. We again weren’t just getting steals but we were scoring off of them.”

Johnny Roberts scored 14 point and grabbed nine rebounds for the Lions while Joe Timofeyev had nine points and seven assists and Isaac Murrell pitched in with nine points.

Connor Webb grabbed nine rebounds and Ben Timofeyev pulled in seven rebounds for the Lions.

The Lions played without starting post Stefan McNamara who is out for approximately two weeks due to academic issues.

“I thought it was good for the team since it gave a chance for other kids to step up and get a chance to play,” Wood said. “We obviously would like to have Stefan with us, but at the same time it’s beneficial to learn that we have kids who can step up.”