Chiefs season starts 4-1 with big wins over Southridge and Walla Walla

MOSES LAKE - For some, Moses Lake's 4-1 start for the boys basketball program has been a surprise. For others, it makes sense.

The Chiefs were picked to finish ninth in the Big Nine and with a fourth of the season finished, that prediction could still pan out, but Moses Lake is trying to prevent it from coming true.

"We have done the things we needed to do to be successful," said Moses Lake head coach Brant Mayo. "The kids are finding a different way to win each night and that is a good sign."

And they seem to know what has gotten them to this point in the season.

"I think basically it is hard work in practice," said sophomore forward Ryan Carpenter. "We know we aren't top of the league and have to work harder than everyone else."

The season opened up with an 84-69 blowout by Davis, but since then the Chiefs have rattled off four straight wins. The biggest win of the streak at Southridge, pulling off a 76-71 win over the Suns.

Following the win, Moses Lake headed into the Christmas break, according to Mayo, at about the right time. He said he would have liked to get back on the court with the momentum, but it gave the Chiefs enough time to prepare for its next test with Pasco on Tuesday, at Moses Lake.

Senior guard Robbie Waites said the break allowed the Chiefs to refocus.

"It would have been nice to have that Pasco game under our belt," Waites said. "But the way we were headed, it may have been good for us to take a step back and see what we did right and what we needed to do better."

What has been good, Mayo said, has been the depth of a young team with only two returning players from last year.

"I think basically what has helped is we have 10 guys who can play," Mayo said, who had a different leading scorer in each of the first five games. "This team is taking on a different personality and I have seven or eight kids that can score and if options one two or three aren't working."

But Pasco, who is 5-0 on the season, begins the challenge Moses Lake faces following the break at making a run for a playoff spot. While the Bulldogs will be without last year's explosive forward Robbie Clyde, who helped knock Moses Lake from the playoffs last year, Mayo said the competition will still be tough.

But, Mayo added, the Pasco game should indicate how the Chiefs responded to the Christmas break.

Gearing up for the Bulldogs won't be the issue for a team that already looked at a predicted ninth-place finish as something to prove.

"It is motivation for us to work harder and get a little more respect from the league," Carpenter said.

For Mayo, facing Pasco at home is a must win situation in his scheme for the season. While the league may have picked Moses Lake to finish ninth in the Big Nine, Mayo picked the Chiefs to finish fourth.

Making the playoffs has been his goal since taking over the program, hosting this year is a priority.

"Our goal was to host a playoff game and that would be fourth," Mayo said. "We are still in a good position for that and when it is a loser out game, you have to be at home."