MOSES LAKE - The Moses Lake Christian Academy (MLCA) boys basketball team is set to make another run at the North Central Washington 1B  league and district championship.

Counted on to lead this year's squad is two-time league MVP senior Joe Timofeyev, and Second Team All-League senior guard Connor Webb.

Lowell Kirkwood, Thomas Knopp, Alex Allsbrook, Quade Godfrey and Braeley McNamara are also expected all get quality minutes for the Lions who finished 7-1 in league play, 16-7 overall last season.

"We only lost one senior to graduation, so this year's squad is full of experience," coach Duke Wood, now in his third year as head coach in the MLCA program, said. "We have five players returning from the 6th place state tournament team two years ago, and all but one from last year's regional tournament team."

Another strength MLCA has going for it that should give the team an edge, Wood said, is speed and quickness.

"I have about eight kids who can run the floor pretty well," he said. "We have been working very hard this year. We had a great summer program along with a strong two weeks of practice so far." 

Speed and agility are easy things to gauge, but heart and determination are two factors that are hard to pencil out. But Wood thinks the boys will be focused at the task on hand.

"The kids all want to get back to the state tournament," he said. "The upperclassmen tend to work very hard and have been in the program for three years now, and when we all start to gel together as one, we are going to be a fun team to watch."

It won't be a cake walk to return as league champs by any means, as Wood expects some stiff competition from the rest of the teams in the Big Nine.

"This year's league has some great athletes," he said. "Mansfield has a couple good players returning, Cascade Christian is going to be very skilled and return a lot of players too. They finished second in league last year."

The Lions get things rolling Friday, when the team hosts St. John/Endicott at 7:30 p.m.