Lions girls outdo Waterville-Mansfield to take district title

WENATCHEE — The Moses Lake Christian Academy/Covenant Christian School girls basketball team took on Waterville-Mansfield and, in a repeat of history, made a buzzer-beating three-pointer to take the district title on Feb. 17.

In the league title game against the same opponent, which took place Feb. 6, MLCA/CCS was fouled during a three-point attempt at the buzzer and won when junior Allison Stanley made all three free throws.

In the district title game, MLCA/CCS junior Kali Kast made the three-pointer in the final seconds to snatch another title right out from under Waterville-Mansfield.

From start to finish, the game could have gone either way, the scores always within a few points. The first quarter ended with the girl Lions behind by two points, 10-12.

The second quarter seemed to have each team pulling all stops to prevent the other from scoring; and it worked. Neither could score more than a handful of points in the eight minutes, leaving the score at 15-18 going into the half. MLCA/CCS was trailing by only three.

In the third quarter, MLCA/CCS was able to gain a small lead of two points within the first two minutes of the quarter but Waterville-Mansfield wasn’t going to let them take the lead so easily, and immediately scored to tie up the game. MLCA/CCS was able to keep pace and inch forward to end the third quarter ahead by two, 28-26.

The fourth quarter saw a lot of three-pointer attempts by MLCA/CCS, but many would not go in. Waterville-Mansfield used this to slightly pull ahead.

With three minutes left in the quarter, things got intense. Back and forth, the two teams traded the small lead.

With 1:26 left on the clock, the teams were tied at 32-all. Waterville-Mansfield scored a layup with less than five seconds left on the clock.

MLCA/CCS got possession and had only 4.1 seconds to get the ball across the court and into the hoop for a chance to tie the game, or take the game if they could score a three-pointer or make a layup with a foul.

MLCA/CCS tried to pass the ball in but it was intercepted by a Waterville-Mansfield athlete. Luckily for the Lion basketeers, her foot was on the boundary line and possession was given back to MLCA/CCS at the half-court mark with three seconds left.

The ball was passed in to MLCA/CCS junior Kali Kast who pivoted and shot the ball outside the three-point line.

Breaths were held as the ball went toward the rim and time ticked away. The ball went in right as the buzzer went off, putting MLCA/CCS one point ahead of Waterville-Mansfield to win the game and the district title.

Final score: 35-34.

Kast not only had made the game-winning basket, but was the leader on the board with 14 points that game.

“It was a pretty special moment for the team and for (Kali Kast),” her father and head coach Josh Kast said about the buzzer-beater three-pointer that won them the game.

“She made a great basketball play as far as having a great IQ to come back to the ball when the original play wasn’t going to go that way. Come back to the ball, get open, create some space and then line up and knock it down,” the coach said.

Kast mentioned that this was the third time the two teams had played each other so there weren’t any secrets left on how the other played. He said it was all up to the athletes to just play basketball.

The MLCA/CCS girls go on to play Willapa Valley at regionals on Feb. 25 at Eastmont. The winner moves on to state and the loser is out of the competition.