Auburn Mountainview head coach Kendall White, on the night before his battle with Federal Way High School, couldn’t sleep. He was restless because the name on the chest of his opponent is a blue chip program.

But he can get that full eight hours of sleep now after his drubbing of Federal Way on Jan. 27 as the Lions completed the sweep of the Eagles (8-5) with an emphatic 91-63 win.

Auburn Mountainview (14-4) got going early. Kolven Posey had 30 points in the first half alone. He was ready from the jump as were his teammates, and the Lions were up 21 points before Federal Way got on the board.

“It was a testament to them (players). It was probably the most focused I had seen them,” White said. “I could tell they wanted it real bad. We talked about how big it would be for the school. We have never swept Fed.”

A start where immediately the opponent is under the gun doesn’t happen often. But when it does, the pressure it puts on a team is immense. Having that advantage allowed Auburn Mountainview to play freely and it all started with their preparation, according to senior guard Cody Bennion.

“Our mindset during warmups, we were all focused and locked in. It’s easy to have a hot start when you are locked in from the start,” Bennion said.

Bennion finished the night with just eight points, but he is a player that White can’t stop raving about. He is now a very solid number two option behind Posey and took it upon himself to take his game to the next level.

“I’ve always thrived on defense, it’s always been my focus. I just focus on the defense and let the offense flow. It’s working so I’m just trying to keep it up,” Bennion said.

The Lions have now won six in a row and sit one game back of Enumclaw for the top spot in the NPSL in a tie with Todd Beamer High School for that second spot. But their preparation and energy from the start against Federal Way bodes well for the playoff run that the Lions seemed destined to make.

It’s been a tough year for Federal Way as the Eagles’ 5-5 record in league play is their worst winning percentage in league play since going 2-12 in league play back in 1999-2000. But because they are coached well by Yattah Reed and have storied success, and despite being up 21 points, White felt that Federal Way was primed to make a run, and he was right. But his side answered right back.

Federal Way trimmed the 21-point margin down to 10 in the second quarter, but the Lions closed out the half on a high. Posey had his 30 points and Federal Way as a team had just two points more than the senior point guard, as the Lions led 55-32.

“He’s amazing. Every time he shoots the ball, you know it is going in. We got all the confidence in the world with him and I trust him. I trust him every possession,” Bennion said.

In the third quarter, the offense was more diversified as seven different players recorded made baskets for the Lions. On the other side of the floor, Auburn Mountainview held Federal Way to their lowest total in a quarter (11).

They are morphing into the team that White expects them to be as the calendar is shrinking.

It was clear to everyone in the gym that Auburn Mountainview would win and for the players it exorcised a demon from last season. The Eagles sent Mountainview home a year ago in the district tournament, on their home court, one game away from the Tacoma Dome, a site the Lions haven’t reached ever in school history.

“The past is the past. All you can do is change the present and the future,” Bennion said.

The largest lead that Mountainview held was 35 points and there was a real chance that Auburn Mountainview would have a running clock against Federal Way. That may be a sentence that has never been written.

“I was nervous they were going to come back the whole time. I didn’t think it was over until the 3:00 mark in the fourth quarter, to be honest. Even though the margin was that big, they are that good,” White said.

But this year’s Lions team has now shown, multiple times, that they have the capability to compete at the highest level this season. With two games remaining in Decatur and Kentlake, the eyes of the Lions can drift off to the playoffs. But the emphasis is on the now, and at the moment the Lions are hitting their stride.