Soap Lake girls, boys defeat Wolverines on senior night

SOAP LAKE — Both the Soap Lake boys and girls basketball teams picked up wins on their senior nights on Tuesday, with the girls winning 62-22 and the boys winning 81-30 over the visiting Cascade Christian Wolverines.

Soap Lake Girls

After opening the game with a 16-5 lead through the first quarter, the Eagles slowed down on the offensive end, putting up just six points in the second quarter with baskets by sophomores Brooke Dana and Liana Sushik, as well as free throws by sophomore Tanya Zubritskiy and Sushik.

Soap Lake led 22-11 at the break.

“I think there was a little carryover from (Monday) night’s game,” Soap Lake girls basketball coach Leonard Lundgren said. “We talked about it and said, ‘Girls, it’s senior night, let’s make our one senior proud.’ It just started to roll for us and I think that was a big part for us.”

The Eagles matched their point total from the first half in the third quarter, scoring 22 points including a quarter-high eight points from Dana. Soap Lake capitalized on second-chance opportunities to build their lead, as they held the Wolverines to four points on the defensive end.

“The biggest thing with this group of girls is they just don’t give up,” Lundgren said. “We struggled in the first half, we missed a lot of lay-ins and free throws, but we figured it out. Had a little pep-talk in the locker room … they just kept going and kept shooting, and it finally fell.”

After another 18 points in the fourth quarter, the Eagles rode out to a 62-22 win over Cascade Christian, closing out the regular season with a win and an 11-7 overall record. Dana led the Eagles with 17 points, followed by Sushik with 16 points. Sophomore Mylee Dana scored 11 points, and senior Olivia McCrady scored nine points in the win.

Before the game, McCrady was recognized as the team’s lone senior.

“She’s been a leader from basically her freshman, sophomore year on,” Lundgren said. “Her grit, her drive, her passion — it’s going to be hard to replace.”

Soap Lake Boys

Following a pregame ceremony for the team’s five seniors, each Soap Lake senior started Tuesday’s game against Cascade Christian; seniors Pavlo Stoyan, Gio Campos, Trey Landdeck, Andrey Sushik and Kaleb Weaver all took the floor to open the game, playing the entire first quarter.

“It was really special because this group of seniors has been carrying the program for six years,” Soap Lake boys basketball coach Daniel Simon said. “A couple of them — even when they were freshman and sophomores – really helped us elevate and be a competitive basketball program.”

The Eagles led 23-6 through the first quarter, including three-pointers by Stoyan, Campos and Weaver. Another Eagle run jumpstarted the offense to open the second quarter, as Soap Lake led 50-19 by halftime, as the half was closed out with a three-pointer by junior Jesse Morales. The scoring onslaught continued in the third quarter, as the Eagles eventually won the game 81-30.

Stoyan led the Eagles with 17 points, followed by Campos with 15 and junior Ruvium Goloborodko with 13 points. 

“I think we have a pretty solid identity right now, so it’s a little easy to plan for,” Simon said. “I know it’s pretty special for the families of the seniors, and I’m glad we performed well and made it something memorable.”

Stoyan noted the Eagle’s rebounding and getting down the court in transition were key factors in Tuesday’s win.

“We’ve just got to keep crashing the boards, and once we get the board, keep running the floor for easy lay-ups,” he said.

Soap Lake closes the regular season on the road against Thorp on Friday at 6 p.m. Simon credits the non-league slate as a reason the Eagles have found success in Central Washington B games this winter, posting an 8-3 record in conference games.

“We played a really competitive non-league schedule this year,” Simon said. “Played a couple of 2B schools, a 1A school — that’s helped us when it came to league play.”

With district playoffs just around the corner, Soap Lake looks to continue its six-game win streak into the postseason.

“Just got to keep the energy going,” Stoyan said. “Use the momentum from the last game to the next game, and always have a good practice before the game.”

Stoyan scores 1,500th point

Stoyan entered Tuesday’s game with 1,491 points during his time in a Soap Lake uniform, and the senior reached 1,500 on his fourth basket of the game — a three-pointer from the right wing of the court.

“It feels really good,” Stoyan said. “Just seeing all your hard work pay off the last six years.”

Teammates, coaches and school administrators gathered onto the court during a timeout to honor Stoyan for crossing that 1,500-career-point mark, presenting the senior with a basketball and poster noting his achievement.

“It’s a special moment, and I think it’s important to honor individual success when they put all that work in and they have a major milestone like that,” Simon said. 

Coming into the season with 1,142 points already through his career, Stoyan said he’d been keeping track of his point totals during games this season.

Reaching the mark on the team’s senior night made the accomplishment just as sweet.

“(It’s a) perfect game, a movie ending,” Stoyan said.

Ian Bivona may be reached at ibivona@columbiabasinherald.com.

Box scores

Soap Lake Girls

CC: 5-6-4-7 22

SL: 16-6-22-18 64

Soap Lake Boys

CC: 6-13-4-7 30

SL: 23-27-24-7 81

    Soap Lake sophomore Brooke Dana (4) led the Eagles with 17 points Tuesday night.
  

    Soap Lake senior Olivia McCrady, left, attempts a shot in the fourth quarter against Cascade Christian.
  

    Soap Lake senior Trey Landdeck (3) shoots a three-pointer in the second half against Cascade Christian.