SEATAC - Control of the caroms and face-to-face defense set up the transition offense in a 61-42 Shorewood Christian boys basketball defeat of visiting Evergreen Lutheran in Jan. 8 SeaTac 1B League action held at the former Glacier High School location on S. 142nd St. which is called the Lions Den by the home team.

"Hard work and team basketball is what we do," said Shorewood Christian head coach Alfonso Gonzales. "We play up tempo and push the ball. The team plays old school man-to-man defense. It was a slow start to the season, but we're coming around and want to finish strongly."

First half action featured close combat most of the way with the Lions (3-3, 5-6) taking an 11-8 lead after one quarter.

Ben Baker of the Eagles (1-3, 3-4) notched a free throw in front of an Andrew Goyins basket inside the lane to force an 11-11 standoff.

Shorewood Christian responded quickly on a reverse lay up from Darren Morris and a penetration bucket by Jordan King. Karl Leitzke converted a short range jump shot to draw the visitors within 15-13.

Suddenly, the familiar one and done nemesis returned to plague Evergreen Lutheran for the duration of play.

Possession after possession, the Eagles would miss a shot, triggering a Lion rebound and outlet pass that resulted in good shot opportunities.

With Evergreen Lutheran unable to penetrate often to the basket, it often relied on outside shots that refused to drop. Shorewood Christian used its height advantage -- eight players at 5-foot, 10 inches or taller on the roster -- to regularly rebound and run.

The Eagles were unable to get closer than 24-16 at the initial stages of the second half as the lethal Lions built up double digit leads that Evergreen Lutheran was unable to dissipate.

"We had a size disadvantage and tried to use our speed, but their height advantage was tough to overcome," said Eagle head coach Dave Lindner.

Six-foot, three-inch Jordan King -- who is one of the top scorers in the state -- poured in 20 points to pace a trio of Lion double figures point makers. Six-foot, six-inch senior Kyle Howell pushed home 14 points and six-footer Micah Lorenz added 10.

Karl Leitzke delivered a tremendous second half scoring punch for 24 Eagle points. Jeffery Parker closed with 10.