The visiting Mountain City Christian Academy girls and boys basketball teams swept Soldotna on Friday and Saturday in Northern Lights Conference action.
The Lions girls won 77-39 on Friday and 65-26 on Saturday as the Stars fell to 2-2 in the league and 7-6 overall. The Lions are 7-0 overall and 4-0 in the league.
The MCCA boys won 52-41 on Friday and 73-40 on Saturday as the Stars fell to 2-2 in the league and 7-6 overall. The Lions are 3-1 in the league and 5-3 overall.
In the Friday girls game, Soldotna head coach Rustin Hitchcock said the full-court press of the Lions was the difference.
“Honestly, if you took away all that, which was a lot, but in the half court, we hung with them,” Hitchcock said. “It was the points off turnovers that made the deficit a lot bigger.”
Friday was only the sixth game of the season for the Lions.
“We just haven’t been able to practice some of this stuff on other teams,” MCCA head coach Lonnie Ridgeway said. “You’re like, man, I think this works on other people when you’re in practice, but you don’t know.”
Ridgeway said the Stars exposed a few problems with the press on which the Lions will have to work.
The coach said he was happy with the way his squad executed on offense, with senior point guard Morgan Maldonado being a big reason why.
Maldonado, who had 14 points, is committed to Division I Boise State University. Ridgeway said Maldonado always has a sense of what the coach is trying to do on offense.
“As a coach, having someone like her is a cheat code,” he said. “It makes my job a lot easier.”
Ridgeway said he was happy that the bench players kept the defensive intensity up.
Brooklynn Ridgeway had 22 for the Lions, while Keelie Kronberger had 20, Nyatuong Majiok had 7, Jasmine Schaeffer had 6 and Jayda Pastana had 5.
Hitchcock said his team stayed together despite the lopsided score, which is a good sign for the future. He gave credit to the team’s leadership, mentioning Anaulie Sedivy, who led with 9 points.
The coach also liked the way the team fought back more in the second half, mentioning Jillian Duncan immediately trying to strip the ball after missing a shot close to the hoop.
“That’s the kind of stuff we need to start filling in the gaps,” Hitchcock said.
In the half court, Hitchock liked what he saw from Anika Jedlicka and her 7 points. He said post players Hope Hillyer (8), Rebekah Pieh (6) and Cassidy Kruse (4) were threats when the Stars did break the press.
Also for the Stars, Cami Kincaid had 2 and Teagen Kobylarz had 1.
MCCA boys 52, Soldotna 41
Friday, the Stars held a 36-30 lead entering the fourth quarter, but lost the final frame 22-5.
Lions point guard Jaidhen Oyao had 14 of his game-high 23 points in the fourth quarter.
“The difference in the game is No. 3,” Soldotna head boys coach Darren Zibell said of Oyao. “He leaked out in transition four times.
“We talked about it in timeouts that we had to get back. It’s just a lack of awareness.”
The easy buckets by Oyao meant everything in what Zibell called a “rock fight” where baskets were hard to come by.
“We also had 26 turnovers, 16 in the first half,” Zibell said. “You’re not going to win many games turning it over that much.”
Zibell said the Stars are banged up right now, most notably missing the ballhandling and scoring talents of Izaiah Gilbert due to a sprained ankle.
“He could go, but it’s one of those where he keeps reinjuring it every game,” Zibell said. “We chose to rest him this weekend. He’s going to ice it.
“Obviously, we’re a different team without him.”
Zibell said the injuries opened up opportunities for other players. Owen Buckbee had 2 points, but Zibell said Buckbee was vital in handling the ball.
The coach also said Josh Babcock, who had 2, and Will Klein, who was scoreless, were solid off the bench.
“We’ve got some injuries, so I’m getting to the end of my bench,” Zibell said. “I can stick guys in and they’re going to produce.”
Also for MCCA, Darian Igwacho had 10, Lukas Underhile and Serge Duchatellier had 7, and Stryder Kronberger had 5.
Also for the Stars, Easton Hawkins had 11, Jayden Stuyvesant had 9, Damari Adams had 7, Sam Strouse and Theo Huff had 4, and Liam Peck had 2.
MCCA girls 65, Soldotna 26
The Lions got the weekend sweep Saturday.
For the Stars, Grayson Henry and Kruse had 6, Alyssa McDonald had 4, Laurel Johnson had 3, Kobylarz, Sedivy and Ryan Queen had 2, and Hillyer had 1.
For MCCA, Maldonado had 15, Schaeffer had 14, Kronberger had 10, Pastana had 9, Majiok had 7, Madlynn Morris had 6 and Ridgeway had 4.
MCCA boys 73, Soldotna 40
The Lions rolled to victory Saturday.
For the Stars, Hawkins had 9, Stuyvesant had 8, Klein and Huff had 7, Adams had 6, Buckbee had 2 and Strouse had 1.
For MCCA, Underhile had 22, Oyao had 20, Igwacho had 11, Kronberger had 10, Sahli Howard and Duchatellier had 4, and Jack Matthews had 2.