CLE ELUM - Joe Timofeyev scored 19 points and pulled down five rebounds to lead the Moses Lake Christian Academy to a 51-39 road win over Cle Elum Tuesday.

The Lions got off to a slow start as the team was on the short end of the scoreboard, 11-8 at the end of the first quarter of action. MLCA picked up the pace while holding the Warriors to eight points in the second eight minutes of play take a 22-15 lead at the half.

"We didn't get off to the start we wanted on the road," coach Duke Wood said. "But we figured out a way to fight back after going down at the end of the first quarter."

Cle Elum's offense got on track in the third quarter as the Warriors matched MLCA point-wise with 15. But the home team was unable to make up any ground and trailed 37-30 going into the last eight minutes of action.

The fourth quarter of play was not as competitive as the first three as the Lions outscored Cle Elum by 12 points to come away with a 51-39 victory.

Connor Webb  added 12 points and seven rebounds for the Lions. Lowell Kirkwood contributed 10 points,

Thomas Knopp had four points and nine boards, and Alex Allsbrook finished with six points and six boards.

The win over the Warriors improves MLCA's record to 6-0 in league play and 14-2 overall.  

The Lions are back in action Friday when the teams hits the road to take on Mansfield. The team will host   Wilson Creek Saturday at  7:30 p.m.

Girls lose heartbreaker

Poor ball handling and missed shots from the charity stripe were the nemesis for the MLCA girls basketball team Tuesday as the Warriors turned back the 1B Central Washington league leading Lions, 49-47.

"We turned the ball over 34 times and shot six of 14 from the free throw line,' coach Bryce McPartland said. "It wasn't as though we didn't have our opportunities. We just ran into a physical team from a much stronger classification (the 1A SCAC) and got beat pretty bad on the offensive glass, giving up 14 offensive boards."

The game was close and rather low scoring in the first of action as the Lions trailed 19-17 at the half. MLCA fell behind  45-35 with five minutes to go in the game, but came charging back to tie the score 47-47 with 30 seconds left in the contest.

The girls showed a tremendous amount of heart to fight back and tie the game," McPartland said. "We got a stop near the end, but turned the ball over and unfortunately, Cle Elum finished the game just a bit stronger."

McKenna Walker had 24 points and 17 rebounds, and Taylor Yamane added eight points to lead the way for the Lions. The non-league loss drops MLCA record to 14-3 overall.

"I'm proud of the way our girls hustled," McParlatnd said.  "But our efforts need to be more disciplined if we are going to have success in the postseason."

Carlee Creager led Cle Elum with 30 points.

"We knew coming in she'd be their horse, but we just did not respond well to the matchup problem she presented being a 6' ball handler with great moves and tremendous range," Mc Partland said.  "She's probably the single most talented kid we've seen this season."

The Lady Lions hit the road to take on Mansfield Friday.