WENATCHEE – A 25-point first quarter jumpstarted the Lions in their district championship win over Soap Lake Thursday night, defeating the Eagles 78-45 and advancing to the 1B Boys State Basketball Tournament.

MLCA/CCS senior Jonah Robertson connected on five-of-six three-point attempts in the first quarter.

“During the whole pregame I was just telling myself ‘It’s just another game,’” Robertson said. “I went out there, didn’t have my adrenaline high — I was just trying to play basketball.”

MLCA/CCS head coach Emerson Ferguson credited preparation as the leading factor in the team’s strong shooting performance Thursday night.

“We just prepared really well,” Ferguson said. “We got a lot of shots up, we worked on finding ways to get open and smart shots. An open shot doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a smart shot. We worked on that big time this week.”

With Robertson catching fire from beyond the arc in the first quarter, the Eagles were forced to adjust to defend the senior from three; Robertson was held to three points in the second frame, but the Lions still managed to score 23 points before halftime to take a 48-25 lead at the break.

“Jonah (Robertson) getting going early, it made them have to adjust,” Ferguson said. “When that happened, I felt like we took advantage of it because now they really had to guard him.”

Soap Lake managed to cut the Lion lead to 11 points midway through the second quarter, but MLCA/CCS closed out the half on a 17-5 run.

“We’re going to make sure that we play defense – that’s what travels,” Ferguson said. “Defense travels, but defense will also win games. A team like (Soap Lake) can score 100 on anybody. For us to hold them to 45, that tells you everything you need to know; that they couldn’t get into the game because our defense wouldn’t allow it.”

MLCA/CCS sophomore Johnny Ferguson led the Lions with 27 points in the Central Washington B district title game, followed by Robertson with 24 points and senior Caleb Jones with eight points.

“They just kept letting me get to the rim, and I could finish above them,” Johnny Ferguson said. “I just went over them and got easy buckets.”

The sophomore had a highlight play of his own, taking the ball down the floor with seconds left on the clock before the end of the third quarter and heaving a shot from half-court, which banked off of the glass for a three-pointer.

“I just chucked it up and I hoped it went in,” Johnny Ferguson said.

Along with preparing for the game, Emerson Ferguson pointed out the Lions’ mentality entering Thursday’s district title game.

“We wanted to mentally have them locked in and ready to go so they were focused,” he said. “We wanted to get to the game, we wanted to prove that what we’ve done this year is because (it’s) who we are. We were eager to get to the game, prepared really well.”

Thursday’s win was MLCA/CCS’s third straight win in the Central Washington 1B district championship game.

“Expect to win; understand that losing is a possibility, but it’s not a probability when you want it,” Emerson Ferguson said of MLCA/CCS’s sustained success in district championship games. “This team was different; they bought in from day one, and it’s been on the defensive side.”

Seeding in the state tournament will be announced upon the completion of district tournaments across the state.

“We’ll just set a new challenge for the boys and watch them accomplish it,” Emerson Ferguson said. “Whoever our opponent is, whoever we’re playing, we’re going to prepare the boys so we can go out and have much success as possible.”

Soap Lake played Waterville-Mansfield Saturday afternoon with the winner advancing to the state tournament, though scores from the game were not available in time for press deadline. Against MLCA/CCS, senior Trey Landdeck led the Eagles with 27 points followed by senior Pavlo Stoyan with nine points.

“Emerson’s (Ferguson) done a great job coaching them up at MLCA,” Simon said. “They have a winning culture, winning tradition. They really showed up and played a great game tonight.”

Robertson’s sixth three-pointer of the game — a buzzer-beater before halftime — gave the senior his 1,000th career point.

“I really wanted it to be at home for all my friends and family to see, but it comes down to the team first — not a personal goal,” Robertson said. “I had my eyes set on that for two years now.”

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

Box score

MLCA/CCS: 25-23-18-12 78
Soap Lake: 10-15-15-5 45

    Soap Lake senior Trey Landdeck (3) attempts a three-pointer in the first half against MLCA/CCS.
  

    MLCA/CCS senior Jonah Robertson, in white, scored 24 points in Thursday’s 78-45 win over Soap Lake, including hitting five first-quarter three-pointers.
  

    Soap Lake senior Andrey Sushik (13) attempts a lay-up in the second quarter against MLCA/CCS.