Lions boys dominate at home against the Devils

MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake Christian Academy/Covenant Christian School Lions boys played at home against the Wilson Creek Devils on Thursday, where they earned a 68-29 victory over their Central Washington B League rival. 

“It was a lot of trying to push the ball up the court, trying to get really good shots and the boys were really unselfish with the ball,” said Lions Head Coach Emerson Ferguson. “I really like how they were moving the ball and getting good open shots at the basket.” 

The Lions were persistent right from the jump, scoring high with seven three-pointers between James Robertson, Johnny Ferguson and Max Gulenko in the first quarter, but Wilson Creek’s Landon McMillan helped keep the Lions’ lead down to 12. 

The second quarter continued this trend as the Devils kept the score a little closer, but the Lions still maintained their lead. The teams ended the half at 42-24.  

Returning from halftime, MLCA/CCS was dominant on both sides of the ball, scoring 11 unanswered points in the third quarter. The Devils worked to gain a few extra points in the fourth, but with the Lions adding 15 to the scoreboard, the game would end in favor of the Lions. 

Ferguson said the Lions excelled on defense during Thursday’s matchup as they held the Devils to only five points in the second half.  

“It’s a huge highlight because we take a lot of pride in our defense,” he said. 

The unselfish play from MLCA/CCS throughout the game, as the players would find open teammates by cutting into the holes of the Wilson Creek defense, was key in their victory Thursday, as it showed how good their ball movement can be. Ferguson said along with this, the Lions had an incredible game shooting from three as they shot 10 three-pointers in total. 

This game showed that if the Lions play right, they can be a very tough team to beat, said the coach.  

Wilson Creek Head Coach Caleb McMillan said that while Thursday’s game didn’t turn out exactly the way they wanted to, he was still proud of how hard the boys worked and their efforts in the first half to stay in the game. Wilson Creek’s struggle came in the second half as many of the players became tired and allowed their game to stall. 

“Overall, we’re pretty young and we did good enough,” said McMillan. 

The coach highlighted the Devils’ defensive efforts in the first half as the team played a strong physical game and only had two fouls called on them in the first half.  

The Devils took another tough loss on Saturday against Bridgeport, falling 30-74, but he said as long as the players show up and do their job, they’ll begin to find success this season. 

“Right now it’s ups and downs, but I think once we tie it all together that we’ll be fine,” McMillan said. “Lots of young guys, lots of returning players, we’re just trying to get the feel for everybody and just trying to push ahead and see what can happen at the end of the season.” 

As the Lions prepare for their next matchups, Ferguson said it’ll be important for the team to review their film and try to point out any of their weaknesses and find those in their upcoming opponents to use to their advantage. 

“More than anything, we want to continue doing what we’ve been doing and, if possible, make the other team adjust to us,” he said. 

The Lions will be at home the rest of this week, facing Bridgeport on Tuesday at 6 p.m. and Neah Bay at 6:30 p.m. Friday. The Devils faced Cascade Christian on Monday night, but the scores were unavailable at the time of publication. Wilson Creek will play at home against Odessa at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday and go on the road against Thorp on Saturday at 7 p.m. 

BOX SCORE:  

MLCA: 25-17-11-15: 68
WCRK: 13-11-0-5: 29 

    MLCA/CCS senior Johnny Ferguson takes the ball down the court after taking possession of the ball during the first half against the Devils. Ferguson dunked the ball for two and made multiple three-point shots during the game.
  

    Landon McMillan from the Devils looks toward his teammates near the hoop to try and pass during Thursday’s matchup against the Lions. McMillan led the Devils on offense scoring 11 total points.
  

    Trevor Sackmann from Wilson Creek begins motioning to one of his teammates so he can pass the ball during Thursday’s game against the Lions.