MLCA/CCS girls basketball falls in Wenatchee
IAN BIVONA | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 year, 9 months AGO
MLCS/CCS senior Makiya Kast, left, drives to the rim in the second half against Waterville-Mansfield in the Central Washington 1B district championship game.
IAN BIVONA
MLCA/CCS senior Kali Kast (33) defends Waterville-Mansfield freshman Holly Finkbeiner in the second half of Thursday’s Central Washington 1B district championship game in Wenatchee.
MLCA/CCS senior Ali Stanley (30) looks for an open teammate in front of the Waterville-Mansfield student section.
Ian Bivona serves as the Columbia Basin Herald’s sports reporter and is a graduate of Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama. He enjoys the behind-the-scenes stories that lead up to the wins and losses of the various sports teams in the Basin. Football is his favorite sport, though he likes them all, and his favorite team is the Jets. He lives in Soap Lake with his cat, Honey. | February 18, 2023 2:22 PM
WENATCHEE – Turnovers proved costly for the Moses Lake Christian Academy/Covenant Christian School girls basketball team on Friday night in Wenatchee, falling 51-38 to Waterville-Mansfield in the Central Washington 1B district finals.
After being tied at five entering the second quarter, the Lions found themselves down 25-10 at halftime. MLCA/CCS Head Coach Josh Kast said the team had 15 turnovers in the first half.
“It came down to turnovers,” Kast said. “... we didn’t take care of the ball. A lot of it was unforced, some of it was forced. Just did not pass the ball well in the first half. Waterville did a good job setting their press and causing the girls to get uncomfortable a little bit.”
The turnovers made it tough for the Lions to get their offense moving, though that changed to start the second half. MLCA/CCS senior Kali Kast cut the Shocker lead to single digits on a strong drive to the basket, but Waterville-Mansfield quickly answered with a 10-0 run that had back-to-back three-pointers by eighth-grader Delainey Nelson and junior Jimena Garcia. By the end of the third quarter, Waterville-Mansfield was back up by 14 points.
“We struggled to get into our offense in the first half, and actually run something,” Kast said. “We attacked a little bit in transition, which led to not getting good shot opportunities. That hurt us, we didn’t get a whole lot of great looks in the first half. That dug us a hole.”
Despite the double-digit Shocker lead, the Lions continued to fight into the fourth quarter. The Waterville-Mansfield lead hovered around eight points throughout the final eight minutes, as key baskets by the Shockers ousted brief MLCA/CCS scoring runs.
“We knew we were going to give them a good shot in the second half,” Kast said. “The girls never quit. They kept battling through, we just couldn’t get over that eight-point hump tonight.”
The game ended with Waterville-Mansfield hoisting the district trophy, having clinched a bid to the 1B State Basketball Tournament. The Lions got another chance to advance to state against Pateros, where they won 56-37.
Ian Bivona can be reached at ibivona@columbiabasinherald.com.
Box Score Lions 5-5-13-15 38
Shockers 5-20-12-14 57
