Moses Lake steadily improving

Start summer basketball with 19-8 record

Everything has been on the up and up for the Moses Lake girls basketball team.

Moses Lake head coach Matt Strophy took over the program two years ago and in the first season went a daunting 1-19 in the Big Nine. His next year was a definite improvement, finishing 7-13 and playing the part of devastator to Big Nine opponents.

The turnaround came between Strophy's first and second year with a successful summer where the Chiefs went 25-15. In the second year of summer basketball, Strophy has coached his girls to a 19-8 record, with a third-place finish at Eastern Washington University tournament with 32 teams present.

Strophy said the Chiefs opened the tournament with a 4-0 record before running into a road block in Mount Sai, who defeated Moses Lake 37-35 on a buzzer beater. The Chiefs later defeated Kelso 43-37 for third place.

Mirielle McKean finished that tournament with 19 points and Sarah Kast contributed 16 of her own in the final game.

Strophy said the summer has been current proof he has put the Moses Lake girls basketball program in the right direction.

"We are on the right track," Strophy added. "I want to get the junior high's on board offensively and defensively, so we are almost there."

On June 12, Moses Lake traveled to the Pasco tournament and got a piece of Pasco and Richland, but lost to Pendleton and Columbia-Burbank. While Strophy said the Chiefs should have finished with a perfect 4-0 record, he was pleased with the two Big Nine victories over regular season playoff contention teams.

Following the tournament, Moses Lake headed to the Gonzaga team camp and went 8-1 in set basketball games, but fell to University and Lewis Clark High School's in pick-up games.

"We got a good experience as to what the GSL has to offer," Strophy said.

Since the successful summer, Moses Lake has grown in its ability to take on comparable opponents, such as Kennewick, Richland and Wenatchee. Strophy said the proof is in the win-loss record.

"We aren't at full strength, but it is nice to see that we can beat Wenatchee, Kennewick and Richland," Strophy said.