Lions return to state playoffs

MOSES LAKE – For the second straight year, boys and girls teams from Moses Lake Christian Academy/Covenant Christian School are heading to their respective 1B state basketball tournaments.

Both squads played in the Central Washington 1B title game last week, with the Lion boys taking home a title. Now, both squads prepare for a state run.

MLCA/CCS Boys

Thanks to a 30-point night by senior Jeff Boorman, the Lions punched their ticket to state with a come-from-behind 59-58 win over Riverside Christian in the Central Washington 1B district championship game last week. Taking an 18-3 record into the state playoffs, MLCA/CCS earned the No. 5 seed in the 1B boys bracket.

“We expected to get that top-four seed,” MLCA/CCS boys basketball Head Coach Emerson Ferguson said. “So when that didn’t happen, in a way, it kind of put a chip on our shoulder. Now we really feel like we’ve got something to go out there and prove. We’re actually kind of happy about that.”

In the 2022 postseason, the Lions were the No. 6 seed and upset No. 3 Northwest Yeshiva 61-60 in the regional round. MLCA/CCS placed sixth in last year’s 1B boys bracket.

“That’s going to be the difference, our mental approach going into the state tournament,” Ferguson said. “We’re going in there with a business mindset, and also not the starstruck-type mentality because we had never been there. We’ve got a lot of guys who have been there and coming in again, we’ve already seen this. This is nothing new, it’s business as usual.”

Also similarly to last year, the Lions will travel over to the west side for the regional game against No. 4 Willapa Valley. This year’s regional game will be played at Tumwater High School.

“This isn’t really anything new to them,” Ferguson said. “They have an idea of what it’s going to be like in terms of traveling. It is what it is, you’ve got to get the job done no matter where they tell you that you’re going to be. The boys are still locked in and like, ‘Okay, that’s what we’ve got to do. Let’s take care of business on Saturday.”

Their opponent, the Willapa Valley Vikings, are 18-5 in 2022-2023 and recently won the Columbia Valley 1B tournament in a 62-54 win over Oakville last week.

“They’re a very disciplined team,” Ferguson said. “Very disciplined, very patient. We know that they’re not necessarily going to be in a hurry. They do a lot of small things really well, and so we've got to make sure we are patient as well and don’t get impatient. Really play a smart game, that’s the biggest thing.”

The district title gave the Lions another confidence boost heading into the state tournament, according to Ferguson.

“(The win) tells us that we know what we’re capable of,” Ferguson said. “Honestly, if we can put four quarters together the way we played the last two in the district championship game, I think we’re as good as the rest in the entire state.”

The MLCA/CCS boys and Willapa Valley tip-off at 12 p.m. at Tumwater High School on Saturday.

“They really believe this is a great opportunity to prove ourselves and who we believe we are,” Ferguson said. “Just really go out there and disrupt what everybody thinks is going to happen.”

MLCA/CCS Girls After falling in the Central Washington 1B title game to Waterville-Mansfield, the MLCA/CCS girls bounced back with a 56-37 win over Pateros to advance to the 1B girls state tournament.

“It was pretty exciting to come out and play strong against Pateros,” MLCA/CCS girls basketball Head Coach Josh Kast said. “The girls did a good job throughout the whole game. Turnovers were down, which was really nice – that obviously contributes to good basketball and positive results.”

The Lions earned the No. 6 seed in the 1B girls state tournament, setting up a matchup against No. 3 Colton in the opening round.

“It’s nice that we got a top-eight seed and we don’t have to worry about a loser-out game in the round of 16,” Kast said. “That’s always positive for the kids in their mindset. There’s less pressure with that.”

Colton enters the state playoffs with a near-perfect record of 22-1, the lone loss coming on Dec. 29 against Genesee. Since then, the Wildcats have won their past 17 games and a 1B Southeast title.

“Fundamental, disciplined players,” Kast said. “Majority of them can shoot the ball from the outside, that’s what Colton likes to do, they like to shoot a bunch of threes and they’ve got some good shooters.”

The Lions made an effort to schedule a tough non-conference schedule to prepare for late-season games, and have played against five teams that also qualified for state.

“The girls, and us coaches too, feel like we can really play with anybody in our classification on any night,” Kast said. “It’s a matter of whether we come and take care of the ball and don’t turn it over as much like we did against (Waterville-Mansfield). Having played the defending champs, Mount Vernon Christian, in the second game of the year, that was a big confidence boost for us.”

Kast credited his fellow coaches, Bobby Schwab and Jayson Melcher, for helping the Lions make it back to state.

“They’ve done a great job helping the girls get prepared throughout the season,” Kast said. “A lot of hard work and dedication for those guys too that they put in with the girls.”