Girls basketball: MOSES LAKE CHRISTIAN ACADEMY 60, Cascade Christian 17

KITTITAS - Taking nothing for granted, the Moses Lake Christian Academy Lady Lions came out with a purpose in its North Central Washington 1B District Championship game Friday night.

They scored early and often and allowed Cascade Christian to do just the opposite as the Lady Lions cruised to a 60-17 win and advance to next weekend's regional round of the state tournament, one step closer to making the state finals in Spokane.

Using a 19-2 first quarter to set the tone, the Academy (20-3) laid it on before halftime to lead 35-6.

"The girls came out on fire tonight," Lady Lions head coach Bryce McPartland said. "They came to ball and were so focused and intent on taking this thing home. We talked about avoiding a letdown, and they responded tremendously."

Cascade Christian needed to win twice before the Lady Lions won once and with the Academy's dominating start that possibility became an improbability.

MLCA held Cascade Christian to 19 percent shooting and forced 27 turnovers.

They also had four scorers in double figures, led by McKenna Walker's 17 points while Kristina Firouzi (15 points), Rachel Verhage (12 points), and Melissa Verhage (10 points) all proved potent as their offense was crisp all evening.

"Our passing was excellent tonight," McPartland said. "These past two games we've seen some really great ball movement and we're going to need that to advance next week."

The Lady Lions were also behooved by the defensive presence of Abby Garrett.

"I think Abby was trying to make their point guard quit.," McPartland said. "She has that kid's number and was in her head from the beginning. The other girl is a good player, but Abbys' way faster and stronger than she is and it's a good matchup for us."

Madison Yamane chipped in with six points and seven assists, while Walker led the squad with seven steals and Rachel Verhage paced the team with 12 rebounds.

The win also cemented the squad's first district title in school history.

"I told the girls that there were a lot if lines, miles, push-ups, and probably more than a few tears in that trophy," McPartland said. "They earned it and I couldn't be more proud of them."

This Friday, the Lady Lions travel to Eastmont for a game against Sunnyside Christian to determine who advances to the state finals in Spokane. No times were available.