COULEE CITY — The Almira/Coulee-Hartline Warriors (2-1) are off to a hot start after defeating the Moses Lake Christian Academy/Covenant Christian School Lions (4-1) 61-18 at home Monday. Head coach Nikki Strock said their start to the season has shown how much her team has grown since last season.   

“Last year was a lot of learning,” Strock said. “It's almost like we were scared to be better. We were scared to be intense. We were scared to have energy, and we often played the same level of basketball as our opponent. This year, it's really awesome to see our hard work pay off, because we are not scared to compete, if the ball is in front of us, we're taking it this year, rather than kind of letting things unfold compared to last year.”  

The Warriors came out fast and aggressive, like Strock wanted. In the first quarter, they jumped out to a 20-7 lead over the Lions. In the second, they held MLCA scoreless while doubling their lead to 40-7 at halftime. In the second half, ACH refused to take their foot off the gas. They piled on 21 more points to earn their second win of the season and make a statement early in the season.   

“How you practice is how you play in games. If you practice hard, if you practice with a certain level of energy and aggressiveness, it comes naturally in a game. Working hard is a choice that you make every time you step on the floor. Requiring that and demanding that every practice makes it easier to come natural in games,” Strock said.   

Strock said she was happy with how her team came out fast against the Lions, something they struggled to do last season. Led by Naomi Molitor, the Warriors erupted offensively to take a 20-7 lead and stunt the Lions' momentum. Strock said she has challenged Molitor to take on a more vocal leadership style this season.   

“Whether it's calling the plays or her calling her own plays, making sure all her teammates are on the same defense, if I tell her anything, relaying that message. She controls the pace of our game as well as our offense and defense. She's just such a smart player and has a high IQ. She's unreal fast and a natural scorer,” Strock said.   

In the second quarter, the Warriors held the Lions scoreless as they added 20 more points on offense. While Molitor continued to make her presence known on offense, Grace Okamoto made hers known on defense, Strock said.   

Strock said she may not always stand out on the stat sheet, but she shows up for the Warriors by taking care of the little details that may be overlooked. She might get a deflection that helps another teammate get a steal or shut down an opponent and prevent them from getting a rebound.   

The way Okamoto can shine in the small details of the game makes a huge difference for the Warriors, Strock said.   

“It makes a huge difference, because I don't ever have to question what she's doing. I can 100% trust that I know if I tell her to do something, she's going to do it, and I don't have to repeat myself. If she sees someone else not doing it, she's going to make sure they do it too. It's definitely a vital part in our team's success,” Coach said.  

With a 40-7 lead at halftime, Strock relayed a message to her team to not take their foot off the gas pedal. Just because the scoreboard paints one story, that was not an invitation to slow down, she said.

In the third quarter, the Warriors continued to get steals and put up points to outscore the Lions 13-2 heading into the fourth. From there, the Lions rebounded a little bit and finished strong to outscore the Warriors 9-8. However, the Warriors took home the win with a 61-18 final score.

The Warriors finished with 24 steals as a team compared to two by MLCA. Strock said once one player started to play aggressively, it spread to the rest of the team and everyone began contributing. Seeing this hard work unfold on the hardwood left her pleased.

The Warriors' next game is Dec. 19 on the road against Mary Walker at 6 p.m. Their next home game is Dec. 20 against the Chesterton Academy of Notre Dame Knights at 6 p.m. The coach said these next two games are a good opportunity for the Warriors to test some new strategies.

This early in the season, it’s important to fish out what works and what doesn’t work for them, she said. In year two of her tenure, Strock holds a lot of gratitude for her players' willingness to learn and be challenged.

“There's a lot of roles that I've given them that they may have never had before, but their willingness and openness to bringing in a new coach and also listening and believing is something that I definitely don't take for granted and that I really appreciate, because it definitely makes coaching a lot easier, but also a lot more fun,” she said.   

BOX SCORE:  

MLCA: 7-0-2-9: 18
ACHW: 20-20-13-8: 61  

ACH ROSTER: 

Name, Jersey 

Emily Evers, 0
Mallory Isaak, 5
Naomi Molitor, 10
Lainee Baergen, 15
Grace Okamoto, 20
Josie Bayless, 21
Faith Parrish, 25
Peyton Roberts, 45
Emma Brummett, 50
Hannah Brummett, 55 

    Emily Evers, left, dribbles the ball up court as Vesta Koethke, right, applies defensive pressure. The Warriors had 24 steals against the Lions on Monday.
  

    Grace Okamoto (20) looks for a passing option while on offense for the ACH Warriors. Head Coach Nikki Strock said Okamoto makes a big difference on defense by doing the small things.
  

    Mallory Isaak (5) tries to block a pass attempt by Vesta Koethke (12) during their game on Monday.