MLCA/CCS girls basketball falls in Wenatchee
MLCS/CCS senior Makiya Kast, left, drives to the rim in the second half against Waterville-Mansfield in the Central Washington 1B district championship game.
IAN BIVONA
MLCA/CCS senior Kali Kast (33) defends Waterville-Mansfield freshman Holly Finkbeiner in the second half of Thursday’s Central Washington 1B district championship game in Wenatchee.
MLCA/CCS senior Ali Stanley (30) looks for an open teammate in front of the Waterville-Mansfield student section.
WENATCHEE – Turnovers proved costly for the Moses Lake Christian Academy/Covenant Christian School girls basketball team on Friday night in Wenatchee, falling 51-38 to Waterville-Mansfield in the Central Washington 1B district finals.
After being tied at five entering the second quarter, the Lions found themselves down 25-10 at halftime. MLCA/CCS Head Coach Josh Kast said the team had 15 turnovers in the first half.
“It came down to turnovers,” Kast said. “... we didn’t take care of the ball. A lot of it was unforced, some of it was forced. Just did not pass the ball well in the first half. Waterville did a good job setting their press and causing the girls to get uncomfortable a little bit.”
The turnovers made it tough for the Lions to get their offense moving, though that changed to start the second half. MLCA/CCS senior Kali Kast cut the Shocker lead to single digits on a strong drive to the basket, but Waterville-Mansfield quickly answered with a 10-0 run that had back-to-back three-pointers by eighth-grader Delainey Nelson and junior Jimena Garcia. By the end of the third quarter, Waterville-Mansfield was back up by 14 points.
“We struggled to get into our offense in the first half, and actually run something,” Kast said. “We attacked a little bit in transition, which led to not getting good shot opportunities. That hurt us, we didn’t get a whole lot of great looks in the first half. That dug us a hole.”
Despite the double-digit Shocker lead, the Lions continued to fight into the fourth quarter. The Waterville-Mansfield lead hovered around eight points throughout the final eight minutes, as key baskets by the Shockers ousted brief MLCA/CCS scoring runs.
“We knew we were going to give them a good shot in the second half,” Kast said. “The girls never quit. They kept battling through, we just couldn’t get over that eight-point hump tonight.”
The game ended with Waterville-Mansfield hoisting the district trophy, having clinched a bid to the 1B State Basketball Tournament. The Lions got another chance to advance to state against Pateros, where they won 56-37.
Ian Bivona can be reached at ibivona@columbiabasinherald.com.
Box Score Lions 5-5-13-15 38
Shockers 5-20-12-14 57
