Lions claim close game over La Salle
CALEB PEREZ | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 6 months, 3 weeks AGO
Dennis Gulenko, a senior for the Lions, shoots for two under pressure from La Salle. Gulenko said the team did a great job in working together to earn the victory.
CALEB PEREZ/COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD
Lions junior Max Gulenko breaks away from the crowd as he prepares to dunk the ball in the final seconds of the game.
Johnny Ferguson, an MLCA/CCS senior, prepares to shoot a free throw during Tuesday’s victory over La Salle.
MLCA/CCS junior Seth Johnson defends against La Salle as they look for an opening to make a shot.
Treyson Kast, a junior with the Lions looks for an open shot during Tuesday’s game against La Salle.
Lions freshman Roman Gulenko puts pressure on the net as he works to add two onto the score.
MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake Christian Academy/Covenant Christian School Lions returned to form Tuesday as they earned an 80-68 win over La Salle. The Lions remain at the top of the Central Washington B league as they head into the final stretch of the regular season.
“We just pulled together as a team,” said Lions senior Dennis Gulenko. “When somebody’s down, you come together even stronger.”
The game started close in the first quarter as the two teams traded the lead multiple times before La Salle took the lead 13-17. The Lions turned up the heat in the second quarter to post 22 points to claim the lead at 35-33 at the end of the half.
“On offense, we got a little stagnant, but then at halftime we kind of pulled it together,” said Dennis.
In the third quarter, La Salle mounted a comeback to reclaim the lead 54-55, putting MLCA/CCS on edge as they headed into the final quarter. The Lions finished out the game on full throttle as they posted 26 points and held their opponent to 14 to take a 12-point lead and end the game 80-68.
Johnny Ferguson was the top scorer on offense as he put up three three-pointers in his total of 23 points. Dennis and Max Gulenko followed close behind, with each scoring 22 points. Dennis played a major role in securing victory in the fourth quarter as he put up 12 points in that quarter.
The Lions had a few key players missing from the roster during Tuesday’s matchup due to injury, which is where the team found some hiccups early on in the game, said Dennis. Despite this, the players all stepped up to fill in where they were needed.
“We’re looking a little banged up, but after (healing) all these injuries, we’ll be the top team,” he said.
These injuries have given multiple players extended time on the court, but Lions Head Coach Emerson Ferguson said that this is something he has been training the players to be ready for. The players came off the bench and were ready to make big plays in order to secure the victory.
“Super proud of them,” said Ferguson. “We were confident coming into tonight; we just didn’t know where the big shots were going to come from.”
In Monday’s away game against Liberty Christian, the Lions sustained their first loss of the season 45-51. The coach said it was important for the team to come into Tuesday’s matchup with a fresh mindset and ready to play a whole new game.
Ferguson said MLCA/CCS showed grit against La Salle as they dug deep once they were down to find energy that they didn’t know they had, as the players made big plays for important offensive and defensive drives to earn the victory. As the final games of the regular season approach, the Lions will focus on maintaining that energy and working around their weaknesses.
“Really, health, I think, is the most important thing during these next few days off. We’ve got to get these guys healthy,” he said. “I think that’s our number one priority and then just some of those things that we need to execute, we need to execute the foul line and then running our plays.”
The Lions head on the road for their next matchup Tuesday evening to face Entiat at 7:30 p.m.
BOX SCORE:
MLCA: 13-22-19-26: 80
LASL: 17-15-22-14: 68
Lions junior Max Gulenko breaks away from the crowd as he prepares to dunk the ball in the final seconds of the game.
Johnny Ferguson, an MLCA/CCS senior, prepares to shoot a free throw during Tuesday’s victory over La Salle.
MLCA/CCS junior Seth Johnson defends against La Salle as they look for an opening to make a shot.
Treyson Kast, a junior with the Lions looks for an open shot during Tuesday’s game against La Salle.
Lions freshman Roman Gulenko puts pressure on the net as he works to add two onto the score.ARTICLES BY CALEB PEREZ
Sushik comes full circle ahead of first season at BBCC
MOSES LAKE — The next step in Liana Sushik’s athletic journey has led her to play for the Big Bend Community College Vikings volleyball team this fall after a successful career with the Soap Lake Eagles. Joining the Vikings is something she feels has deepened her love for the sport, she said. “I fell in love with the fact that there’s more than just high school volleyball; there’s another level,” said Sushik. “It’s like a whole new chapter and I’m so excited to see what I have next because there’s a lot that I’ve been through to get here.” Despite her success on the court, Sushik said she didn’t initially start out as an athlete.
Building a community at Desert City Fitness
EPHRATA — The city of Ephrata welcomed its newest athletic club earlier this summer with Desert City Fitness setting up along Basin Street. Since their grand opening June 6, the club has worked to become a strong contributor to the community in Ephrata. “We just opened our doors and whoever comes in, that’s how we do it,” said Bryan Boney, owner of Desert City Fitness. Boney, who owns the club alongside his wife Tracy Fillion, decided to open Desert City Fitness to keep himself active after retiring six years ago. Boney said he has invested all his money from retirement into purchasing the property, remodeling and getting the equipment necessary to open his fitness center.
Grid Kids expands opportunities this season
MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake Grid Kids football program is gearing up for the start of its 26th football season this fall. This year, alongside their tackle football program, the Grid Kids have expanded their flag football options. “It’s one of those things that you just don’t really know how well it’s going to go, but right now we’re looking pretty strong,” said Brian Gwinn, the Gird Kids administrator and communications contact. The tackle opportunities remain the same for third through sixth grade with third and fourth graders playing together and fifth and sixth graders separately from the younger players. The format for third and fourth grade will remain at a regular 11-man game, but for fifth and sixth grade there is consideration for moving down to an eight-on-eight format.