Lions, Warriors, Knights to play state tournament games Friday

SPOKANE — Three local teams will be playing Friday in the Class 1A and Class 1B basketball tournaments. 

Moses Lake Christian Academy/Covenant Christian School advanced to the quarterfinal round with a 57-47 win over Muckleshoot Tribal School on Wednesday. A 10-point win might sound like a pretty easy game, but Lions Coach Emerson Ferguson said it wasn’t. 

“It’s never easy at state,” Ferguson said. “It was a battle, and we just did what we needed to do to win.” 

Muckleshoot Tribal School had an 11-9 lead at the end of the first quarter, but the game was tied at 21 at halftime. The Lions took the lead in the third quarter and didn’t look back, outscoring Muckleshoot Tribal School 16-13 in the third quarter and 20-13 in the fourth.  

“We made some adjustments and took control of the game in the second half,” Ferguson said.  

Almira-Coulee/Hartline faced the Lions on Thursday evening, but a final score wasn’t available at press time. The game was tight at the end of the first quarter with the Warriors ahead of MLCA/CCS by one point with a 16-15 lead.  

Royal advanced to the quarterfinals with a win over Meridian (Bellingham) Feb. 28. Chelan advanced with a 69-51 win over the Bear Creek School (Redmond).  

The Royal Knights took on the Chelan Goats in the Class 1A quarterfinals Thursday, but the score was not available at press time. Royal Coach Greg Jenks said the key to success at state is to play to the team’s strengths. 

“Make sure we’re playing our game,” he said. “Make sure we stick true to our identity.”