Lions open the season 2-0

MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake Christian Academy/Covenant Christian School Lions got off to a strong start to their season taking two home games against Touchet and Entiat on Tuesday and Wednesday to start their season 2-0.

“I think it went good, I think we got a little jumbled during the (second) game, but I think it was a good game for us to start off,” said Lions senior Brynlynn King.

The Lions dominated in their season opener against Touchet on Tuesday, holding their opponent to five points total and preventing a single score in both the second and third quarters. The MLCA/CCS offense and defense were on full display in this game as they won 59-5.

The very next day the Lions were back on their home court to face the Entiat Tigers in a league matchup. MLCA/CCS got off to a hot start, gaining a 9-0 lead over Entiat before the Tigers closed the gap to end the first quarter 11-10 with the Lions still on top.

The second quarter remained close as both the Lions and Tigers traded the lead multiple times before Moses Lake found its rhythm and ended the half with a 23-16 lead.

Coming out of the half, the Lions maintained their stride and gained a significant lead by the end of the third quarter despite having a number of fouls called on them. By the fourth quarter, the Lions had complete control over the court and would defeat Entiat 50-29.

King said the mindset for the team as they played in their first games of the season was to keep in mind their goal of becoming a state contender by the end of the season. While they won decisively in both games, there were some things that the team still needs to work on.

“Not so quick with our offense, we need to go through a few rundowns and just get arms up for defense and less fouls,” she said.

Lions Head Coach Josh Kast said he was very proud of how the players each performed, highlighting Zoey Ferguson as she stepped in to relieve the point guard, Shay Kast. Abby Stanley and SanTahna Ferguson were both commended for their offensive push against Entiat.

Another player who was highlighted for her defensive performance was Amelia Shopbell, who Kast said did a great job disrupting the opponent’s offense and has overall been a key component to the defensive side of the ball.

While the coach said he was pleased with the speed the Lions showed in this matchup, the cold spell that hit them in the first and second quarters is something that they’ll need to work on moving forward.

“We weren’t really executing things on offense and just not taking great shots or taking care of the ball,” said Kast. “Then we got into a little bit of foul trouble there with a couple of girls and had to pull the pressure off a little bit more than we wanted to.”

He said a few fouls are expected in a game with the type of physical game they are running, but it’ll just be getting the players to be more disciplined throughout the game, especially when they get to a point in the game when they’ve already had two called on them.

“It’s all part of being a young team, they’re going to make mistakes,” said Kast.

Coming off a win is something the coach said will help build momentum for the team in the first half of the year. This will be especially important as they go up against a tough opponent in Oroville this weekend, which is a team they did not face last season.

“We have our MO and that’s to play defense and execute on offense and hopefully good things will happen,” said Kast. “I think that starting out in the beginning of the year, some success is good to build confidence with the girls.”

With the season still ahead of them, King said she is excited to see what they are capable of, especially now that they’ve had such a strong start.

“We’ve already got two wins, so I think it’s going to be a good team,” she said.

The Lions will be heading on the road Saturday to face Oroville at 2:30 p.m.

BOX SCORE:

GAME ONE:

MLCA: 17-16-14-12: 59

TCHT: 3-0-0-2: 5

GAME TWO

MLCA: 11-12-22-5: 50

ENTT: 10-6-7-6: 29

MLCA/CCS LIONS ROSTER:

Name, Jersey, Grade

Amelia Shopbell, 1, 11

SanTahna Ferguson, 2, 12

Zoey Ferguson, 3, 9

Brynlynn King, 10,12

Vesta Koethke, 12, 10

Harlee Jo Dyers, 20, 8

Abbigale Huntley, 23, 9

Q’Tyyr’N Gessner, 24, 9

Abby Stanley, 30, 11

Clarissa Shopbell, 31, 8

Shay Kast, 32, 9

Nylia Johnson, 33, 8

Taylor Starnes, 40, 11

    SanTahna Ferguson, a senior for MLCA/CCS, shoots from the free throw line during Wednesday's win over Entiat.
  

    Lions freshman Zoey Ferguson sprints down the court toward the hoop during Wednesday’s game against Entiat.
  

    Lions junior Abby Stanley maintains possession of the ball right underneath the hoop while plotting her next move with the Entiat defense applying pressure.
  

    MLCA/CCS junior Amelia Shopbell guards an Entiat player during the first half of Wednesday’s game. Head Coach Josh Kast highlighted Shopbell’s ability to disrupt the opposing offense as a great asset to the team.
  

    Lions senior Brynlynn King makes an attempt at the rim during Wednesday’s game against Entiat.