Lions best Devils in girls rivalry matchup

MOSES LAKE —The Moses Lake Christian Academy/Covenant Christian School Lions (4-0) hosted the Wilson Creek Devils (4-1) on Thursday, where the Lions earned a 50-28 victory. The two teams both face a tough week following their matchup before going into winter break. 

“We knew that Wilson Creek was going to be a pretty physical team ... but overall I thought our defense did a good job,” said Lions head coach Josh Kast.  

The Devils started strong in the first quarter, where Lila Sackmann was the first on the board with a three-pointer, and remained physical on defense. The Lions were quick to respond and, as the quarter went on, earned a six-point lead over the Devils. 

MLCA/CCS carried its energy into the second quarter to score another 11 points and held Wilson Creek to seven as they ended the half 22-12. 

As the second half began, the Lions would gain more momentum to increase their lead, and though they were down, the Devils would still put up consistent scores. By the end of the fourth quarter, MLCA/CCS held a wide lead over Wilson Creek, and the game ended 50-28 in favor of the Lions. 

“Started a little slow on offense, struggled in that first quarter a little bit to find openings in the zone and how to attack that, but we made some adjustments at halftime,” said Kast. “The girls did a good job in the second half, finding the open player and having better ball movements.”  

The coach said that he was very impressed with how well the defense did, especially with the spark from younger players like eighth-grader Clarissa Shopbell. Shopbell was also the second-highest scorer on the team after freshman Shay Kast. Freshman Zoey Ferguson and junior Abby Stanley both proved to be integral parts of the offense as well, providing the team with both points and ball movement. 

“Overall, I think they played as a team, and I was really happy with the way they played,” he said. “Even though we had a slow start, we didn’t hang our heads. We kept on battling and slowly built a lead there. 

Devils head coach Jeff Sackmann said, though it was a rough loss for the team, they can be proud of the fact that they stayed in it and played hard for the entirety of the game. The young Devils team showed sparks, especially early in the first quarter, where they kept the Lions on their toes. 

Sackmann said a big lesson for Wilson Creek was the importance of maintaining its composure during a tough game. 

“When things don’t go well, calls don’t go your way, you miss shots or turn the ball over. You’ve got to learn to move on to the next play and keep fighting hard,” said the coach.  

The Devils turned things around quickly in their next game Saturday, where they earned a home 27-21 victory against Bridgeport. As they move into their next few matchups, Sackmann said it’ll mostly come down to how healthy the team is and how well they run the basics. 

“I feel good for as young and inexperienced as we are; (the Lions) are our first loss as we won our first three games,” he said. “I’m glad we get another chance to play MLCA later in the season at Wilson Creek. It’ll be a really good measuring stick for us to see if we can make some progress.” 

Kast said there is still plenty of room for improvement on both sides of the ball. Offensively, MLCA/CCS will need to learn how to be more aggressive at attacking zones and hunting for better shot opportunities. On defense, the team will be focused on their rebounding and boxing-out skills. 

“I think just a lot of times we stand and watch, so I think that’s always been one of our main focuses, is we’ve got to get better at boxing out and limiting teams to one shot and then giving us second chance points on an offensive rebound,” he said. 

The Lions faced Almira/Coulee-Hartline on Monday and will play Bridgeport on Tuesday at 6 p.m. The Devils played at home against Cascade Christian on Monday and will remain at home to play Odessa at 6 p.m. Results from the Monday games were not available at the time of publication and will be posted when they become available. 

BOX SCORE:  

MLCA: 11-11-15-13: 50
WCRK: 5-7-7-9: 28 

    Lions freshman Zoey Ferguson dribbles the ball down the court during Thursday’s game against the Devils after gaining possession.
  

    Devils junior Lila Sackmann makes her way down the court looking for an opening to score against the Lions.
  

    Brynlynn King, a senior from MLCA/CCS, maneuvers around a defensive front by Wilson Creek’s Kaydence Leslie (2) and Savannah Herrera (3).
  

    Kaydence Leslie, a sophomore with the Devils, shoots a free throw during Thursday’s game against the Lions.