Lions' boys outrun, outgun Warden Cougars

MOSES LAKE - The 12-point margin of victory wasn't really indicative of the beating Moses Lake Christian's boys basketball team inflicted on their opponents Thursday night.

The Lions jumped out to a comfortable lead early, led by as many as 20 points and generally outplayed the Warden Cougars in every facet, winning 56-44 in the opening game of Moses Lake Christian's Christmas Tournament.

Lions head coach Lonny Brown, however, didn't exactly lay the praise on thick with his team. He saw some things they will have to sort out before North Central League play begins next Friday.

"We did some good things today and we did some things we need to improve on," Brown said. "At times, our defense was fair and at times, it was a little on the iffy side. Offensively, at times we showed good patience and execution, and at times we weren't very patient and didn't take the best shot we could get.

"I think that's a sign of a young team," he added.

Moses Lake Christian did look a bit on the young side as freshman Isaac Murrell was a surprise starter in place of senior Taylor Sandberg. Murrell was sharp from the get-go, finishing with nine points and four steals in 22 minutes.

The Lions got good balance offensively as five players scored at least seven points. Adrian Moffet had a game-high 21 points on 8 of 17 from the floor and added six rebounds. Kameron Firouzi hit a pair of 3-pointers, scored 10 points and dished out six assists. Sandberg came off the bench to add seven points, while Jesse Bassett had seven points, five rebounds and three steals.

"That's going to make us better down the road," Brown said. "We have to get some more balance and tonight we got it."

Moses Lake Christian's pressure defense only caused 15 turnovers, but appeared to keep Warden's offense from establishing much rhythm. The Cougars shot just 30 percent in the first half and only one man - Ben Bisnett - scored in double figures.

"We didn't cause them to turn the ball over, but I think we kept them a little off balance at times," Brown said. "I wanted to stay in it, because I think it gets us going a little bit."

Bisnett, Warden's 6-foot-3 senior post, had 10 points and 12 rebounds to pace the Cougars, but didn't get a lot of touches in the half-court offense. Warden's Kevin Whitaker added nine points and seven rebounds.

"He was a focal point for us tonight," Brown said of Bisnett. "We knew that they like to get the ball to him, and we had some guys that tried to battle him tonight, and they did a good job."

The Lions will face the Tri-Cities Prep Jaguars tonight at 7:30 p.m. in the tournament's championship game. Brown and his staff scouted the Jaguars in their win over Bridgeport on Thursday and expects a tough test.

"They're well-coached and they have good, solid basketball players," he said. "They're not flashy by any means. They just execute their stuff."