Moses Lake defeats Eastmont

by Pam ROBEL<br>Herald Sports Editor
| December 11, 2006 8:00 PM

Chiefs 66, Wildcats 59

MOSES LAKE — With the game tied at 28 in the third quarter, Quinn Baker earned a steal for the Chiefs and turned the tides.

Baker drew a foul and regained the lead after sinking both free throws for Moses Lake.

Josh Loera then earned a steal of his own, one of seven in the game. Jarred Walker grabbed a pass from Loera to find the hole and drew foul for another trip to the line, forcing Eastmont to take a time out. After the break, Walker finished the 3-point play to give Moses Lake a 5-point lead.

"Overall, I was happy with the energy and it was good to have everyone come off the bench ready to play," said Moses Lake head coach Brant Mayo.

The Chiefs continued to drive deep and draw fouls, sending both Baker and Cody Meeks to the line after back-to-back fouls from the Wildcats and extending the lead to 37-28.

Loera bumped the lead to 12 after hitting a 3-ball with just under three minutes left to go in the period. Moses Lake watched the lead dwindle down to just four points thanks to some hustle plays by Eastmont.

With time in the third winding down, Loera took it to the bucket on a drive from the 3-point line to give the Chiefs a 6-point lead. He followed up the basket with a steal to end the quarter.

Baker opened the fourth quarter with a fade-away jumper for the Chiefs. It was nearly a full minute before Moses Lake would score again on a 3-pointer by Tyson Garcia to gain a 9-point lead.

The Chiefs continued to pressure Eastmont, earning a 55-42 lead before relaxing on defense and letting the Wildcats get back into the ball game.

Loera scored the last bucket for Moses Lake with more than one minute left to play and Eastmont seized the opportunity, whittling the lead down to two 3-point shots, the second at the buzzer but it was not enough for a comeback.

"I thought we could have done better executing at the end," said Mayo.

Moses Lake opened the game winning the tip-off and jumping out to an early 6-1 lead with Walker earning the first field goal of the night for the Chiefs.

Both teams had early foul trouble, keeping the first quarter to a low-scoring 10-6 Moses Lake lead at the break.

Baker earned three quick points to open the second quarter with a 1-for-2 trip to the foul line and a layup. Then it was Meeks' turn at the line, after drawing a foul, he made the most of a 1-and-1 trip, earning 2 points for the Chiefs and giving Moses Lake a 15-8 lead.

Eastmont pulled within one after back-to-back fouls from Meeks and Ben Waites sent two Wildcats to the line but they would get no closer as Garcia shot his first 3-ball of the night to extend Moses Lake's lead again.

Both teams ended the half at the free throw line, with Meeks and Loera sending two Eastmont shooters to the line and then drawing fouls to earn trips to the line for themselves.

The Chiefs went into the locker room with a 24-20 lead.

"Again, we're still a work in progress and we just have to keep getting better until league starts," said Mayo.

Moses Lake's first league match-up will be against Eisenhower Dec. 19 at home.

Loera led the team with 23 points and five assists. Baker had 15 points. Meeks ended the night with 10 points and nine boards. Walker had five rebounds and four steals.

Moses Lake outscored Eastmont 21-15 from the line and earned 26 points off turnovers to Eastmont's 18.