With the pressures and stresses of a basketball season, sometimes a team need a release, an escape. It may be just an afternoon or a dinner but something to get the players and coaches mind‘s off basketball.

For the Auburn Mountainview Lions boys basketball team, it was bowling.

The Lions are amidst their best season in school history, and it keeps getting better. The Lions blew out the Enumclaw Hornets 85-55 at home on Jan. 21 to improve to 16-0.

“We’ve been playing with high emotion, playing out of character. I’ve been coaching out of character. We took the weekend and yesterday refocusing and re-centering ourselves. I think it just paid off,” said Head Coach Kendall White.

The night before the game, all Lion players, along with White went out bowling as a way to reset and grow closer as a team.

“We had deep and really good conversations (with each other)… It goes back to us playing for each other… It’s a lot bigger than basketball,” senior Lucas McClendon said.

White has been adamant all season that his impact on the Lions is minimal, but playing the humble servant only gets so far before it is realized how much he has crafted the Lions into a basketball machine.

“I can’t even take credit for what they all do… I’m definitely in a position to be blessed,” White said. “I can’t take credit for the fact that I got 10 guys that can go an score a basket in any given moment. That’s their work.”

Take it from McClendon, a forward who transferred from Graham-Kapowsin two seasons ago. McClendon struggled to find his footing last year, but scored a team high 21-points for the Lions in the win over Enumclaw.

“Lu’s always been super talented and super skilled…We’ve been trying to work with him on controlling what he can control, trusting that everything will fall into place eventually… It was a testament to his patience that paid off,” White said.

White took that same mentality into his bowling skills, where he wowed his players with a flashy 209 score but tries to downplay his ability.

On the court the Lions show White’s fiery personality. Junior Kolven Posey brings out the focus and effort White shows on the defensive side of the floor.

“He’s realizing how good of a defender he can be…He’s starting to come into his own as a defender and taking pride on that side,” White said.

Western Oregon University commit Sebastian Arius shows the killer instinct and passion on the offensive side of the floor.

Both Arius and Posey finished in double figures over Enumclaw along with McClendon, Spencer Evanson and Beckett Jones. The diversity in attack reflects in what the players think about themselves. McClendon has battled injuries the past two seasons and was the teams leading scorer, but that’s not all he is or wants to be.

“I got to do what the team needs. They might need me to rebound, tonight they needed me to score, tomorrow they might need me to rebound again, “McClendon said.

Against the Hornets the game seemed to be out of reach just as quick as it began. Auburn Mountainview went on a 12-0 run to start the game. The offensive firepower was prevalent from the jump.

“It just set the tone early. ‘K’ (coach Kendall White) is really big on throwing the first punch and winning the first two and last two of every quarter. I think that is really important,” McClendon said.

Undoubtedly, there will be people that think the Lions haven’t been tested. They have won every game except one by 10 or more. As a whole, the 3A NPSL doesn’t look like world beaters.

“I keep trying to remind them that we have been tested, even though we find a way to pull away at the end. Silas was a test, Fed (Federal Way) was a test and Beamer was a test… I know our league is looked down upon based on RPI (rankings) and things of that nature, but there are good players and coaches in our league,” White said.

Taking a look at their schedule, a 15-point win over Silas during the T-Town Throwdown at Silas might be the best marker to see where they are. As Silas fell to PCL leading Lincoln, by two at Lincoln just a week before the Lions beat them.

Federal Way is still on the docket as one of the final four teams remaining on the schedule. That game, on Jan. 28 will be for the league title. Something that Auburn Mountainview has won just two times in their existence.

But as long as teams are being put up, the Lions are ready to knock them down.

Kolven Posey takes aim against Enumclaw. Ben Ray / The Reporter