MLCA girls basketball beats CCA, CBSS

MOSES LAKE - The Moses Lake Christian Academy (MLCA) girls basketball team took two games over the past five days, beating Cascade Christian Academy (CCA)45-8 Thursday, and Columbia Basin Secondary School (CBSS) 62-9 Saturday.

Lions 45

Wolverines 8

McKenna Walker scored 19 points and had seven rebounds to lead (MLCA) to the win over the Wolverines Thursday.

Anna Yarbro added nine points and six boards in the winning effort for the Lions.

"We had a great effort tonight, rebounding from two really tough losses," coach Bryce McPartland said. "We did come out super sluggish, but we made the conscious decision after those two games to improve our half court sets."

MLCA did get off to a slow start, scoring just four points in the first quarter. CCA didn't fare any better as the visiting team had three.

But a 23-0 second quarter saw the Lions take a 27-2 lead at halftime.

Walker opened the third quarter scoring with two baskets from behind the arc to help push the lead to 42-2.

Up 40 points with eight minutes to play, McPartland pulled his starters and gave his bench players some game time experience.

He reinserted Walker, Madison Yamane and Tayor Yamane with three minutes to go as the Lions offense went stagnant, and CCA had out scored MLCA 6-3 in the quarter, and cruised to the win.

"It was a solid all-around effort. I was pleased with our second and third quarter offensive efforts and our defense for the first three quarters," McPartland said. "Struggling out of the gate was disappointing, but losing the fourth quarter was unacceptable. The latter was the only real damper on the win."

Maddie Tudor and Taylor Yamane, McPartland said, were difference makers in the game.

"Maddie was a huge spark of the bench. She didn't end up scoring a bunch, but she helped us force their defense to have to rotate way more quickly than they were comfortable.

She's a talented kid and will have a lot to offer the team as she develops," he said. "Taylor had a huge game from a defensive perspective. It's not often you see a point guard totally lose it on the floor, but she made theirs do exactly that."

The win improves the Lions record 4-0 in league play and 11-2 overall.

MLCA  62

CBSS 9

MOSES LAKE - Anna Yarbro had 20 points and McKenna Walker added 16 as MLCA rolled over the Lady Phoenix 62-9 Saturday.

The game was never in doubt as the Lions jumped out to a 15-2 lead at the end of the first quarter and never looked back, cruising to an easy 53-point win.

"Anna had a great game, leading the team in scoring with 20 points and shooting 75 percent from the field. She also had nine rebounds," coach Bryce McPartland said. "McKenna also had a strong game. Her willingness to sacrifice her personal stats for the team is a great testament to her team-first attitude and her character as a person and as a player."

McPartland got a chance to substitute liberally in this game as well, and all of the players on the team scored for the Lions.

"That's the first time that has occurred this season and it's nice for all the girls to participate in the win in that fashion," he said. "Overall, I am pleased with our performance and our development. The team is coming along very nicely and positioning itself well for the post-season as the regular season winds down."

The win  over the Phoenix runs the Lions record to 5-0 in league play and 12-2 overall

CBSS leading scorer, Crystal Lloyd, fouled out early in the second quarter and that left the Phoenix in a difficult position for the rest of the game.

"The Lady Lions are a good team. We had some key players out due to injury and losing Crystal early in the second quarter hurt," CBSS coach Clint Scrivens said. "But our ladies never gave up. They played the best they could with the players they had. Even Yesong Kim, our exchange student who has never played before this year, played most of the second half."

The loss for the Phoenix drops the teams record to 1-3 in league play and 4-9 overall.

The Lions are back in action when the team travels to Easton Tuesday.

The Lady Phoenix are back on the hardwood Feb. 2 when they host Cascade Christian at 6 p.m.