MOSES LAKE – The MLCA/CCS Lions picked up two wins in this week’s Christmas Basketball Tournament, defeating Bridgeport 86-71 Tuesday and Odessa 76-46 Wednesday to win the tournament.

MLCA/CCS coach Emerson Ferguson said winning the team’s holiday tournament was the first goal of their 2023-24 campaign.

“If we break our season up into chunks, we can really focus on each step,” Ferguson said. “This was our first step, we’ve got to win our Christmas tournament. The boys really locked down; my emphasis this season has been defense, so it was really nice to get both victories.”

The Lions matched up with Odessa on Wednesday night in the title game, jumping out to an early lead and holding a 27-11 advantage through the first eight minutes of action.

“We started the game with high energy,” Ferguson said. “The boys were flying around, getting deflections and steals. We were really getting going and attacking the basket.”

While the Lions were able to score in the first quarter, the offense died down in the second quarter; MLCA/CCS netted just nine points in the second frame to take a 36-30 lead into the half.

The defensive effort picked up in the second half, holding the Tigers to just 16 points over the final two quarters.

“The boys understood that we needed to fix this,” Ferguson said. “We doubled the lead from six to 12 at the end of the third, and from there, we really clamped down defensively. The defensive effort, which I’ve been trying to emphasize, is what sealed the deal and allowed us to break the game open.”

Tuesday’s semifinal game had a similar start for the Lions, scoring 44 points in the first half while limiting Bridgeport to just 23. While the Mustangs did find success on offense in the second half, the Lions were able to answer baskets and take an 86-71 win.

“We came out with great energy and momentum, attacking on all cylinders,” Ferguson said. “Things were really moving the way we wanted. Had a little bit of a mental letdown in the third quarter and let them back into the game. We had to refocus and get back on track, and still got ourselves a pretty good win.”

Senior Jonah Robertson led all scorers in both games, scoring 36 points against Odessa and 33 against Bridgeport. The senior connected on 17 three-pointers over the two-game stretch; nine against Odessa and eight against Bridgeport.

“You’ve got to give a ton of credit to him for shooting the ball so well, but at the same time, I give a ton of credit to the rest of his teammates for pushing the ball up the court and him getting open looks,” Ferguson said. “Running our offense and making that one extra pass — getting the defense to move.”

MLCA/CCS’ second-leading scorer was sophomore Johnny Ferguson, who dropped 23 points against Bridgeport and 20 against Odessa.

“He’s so dynamic, he’s been a big part of our success as well,” Ferguson said. “It’s been really nice for someone who came off the bench a few minutes here, a few minutes there last year, to a full-time starter now. This type of production from last year to this year, it’s a welcomed blessing.”

This week was the first time the MLCA/CCS boys basketball team has hosted its Christmas tournament since before the COVID-19 pandemic, Ferguson said. 

“We used to do it years ago, had a little Christmas tournament and it was nice to get some other teams that we wouldn’t normally play down here and get some good, competitive games going,” Ferguson said. 

The Lions are off until a Dec. 30 road game against Almira/Coulee-Hartline and a Jan. 6 home game against Sunnyside Christian, then begin league play Jan. 9 against Riverside Christian.

“If we can come out on top of both of those games, I think we can ride some serious momentum into those Soap Lake and Riverside (Christian) games,” Ferguson said. 

Ian Bivona may be reached at ibivona@columbiabasinherald.com.

Box scores

Vs. Bridgeport
MLCA/CCS: 23-21-20-22 86
Bridgeport: 15-8-28-20 71

Vs. Odessa
MLCA/C:CS:27-9-16-24 76
Odessa: 11-19-10-6 46

    MLCA/CCS sophomore Johnny Ferguson scored 23 points against Bridgeport and 20 points against Odessa at this week’s MLCA/CCS boys Christmas Basketball Tournament.
  

    MLCA/CCS Head Coach Emerson Ferguson said the team’s defense stood tall in the second half of Wednesday’s title game against Odessa, holding the Tigers to just 10 points in the second half.