Chiefs battle tough Hanford team

Moses Lake falls behind in first quarter, gains momentum by halftime

MOSES LAKE — After winning the tip Friday the Chiefs struggled to get into a rhythm but pulled out a 51-39 victory after some scrappy first half of play.

Hanford sits atop the 3A half of the Columbia Basin League and the Lady Falcons gave Moses Lake a run for their money in the first quarter. A turnover and foul by the Chiefs gave Hanford an early 3-0 lead that the Lady Falcons extended with a 3-ball.

"In pre-game we talked about needing to go out and get on them, just like we talked about at Eastmont, and they came out and got on us," said Moses Lake head coach Matt Strophy.

Moses Lake's first bucket of the night was a connection from Ann Noyes to Carly Noyes but Hanford had an answer to keep the lead at six. It looked as though the tides had turned as Kelly Sutherland earned her first of many steals on the night but the play ended in a turnover that Hanford was able to convert into points.

"I have to applaud the girls for, what, an 11-point swing after being down in the first quarter and leading by four at halftime," said Strophy.

It was a Hanford foul that got the Chiefs going. Carly Noyes picked up her first blocked shot midway through the first quarter to rattle Hanford. The swat was followed by a Hanford turnover and a foul that put Carly Noyes on the line to finish off a 3-point play. She sank the foul shot to trim the deficit to 11-8.

Hanford answered with a quick jump shot but Moses Lake started to gain momentum, with Carly Noyes earning another layup and Kelly Sutherland tying the game with a long 3-point shot to end the first quarter.

Both teams continued to scrap it out with three lead changes to begin the second period. Again, Carly Noyes gave Moses Lake the advantage, following her own miss to earn the putback and give the Chiefs their first lead of the game at 18-16.

Moses Lake never looked back.

Marielle McKean, who won the game ball for her efforts on the night, extended the Chiefs' lead with a 1-for-2 trip to the line and earned Moses Lake's final field goal of the half with a drive to the hoop.

The second half was marred by a technical foul by Hanford. McKean went 1-for-2 from the line but Moses Lake was unable to take advantage of the possession.

"We didn't have many turnovers because of a mental lapse or being out of control," said Strophy. "I think we had a total of six turnovers in the first half and three of those were from being aggressive. I can live with that."

McKean pushed the lead to 26-19 with a bucket following a Hanford foul.

Lorin Montgomery made her presence felt late in the third with a long 3-pointer, the Chiefs' last field goal of the quarter.

Sutherland opened up a 10-point lead for Moses Lake after draining a 3-ball to begin the final period of the game and had it followed by a drive by Ann Noyes.

Brin Bergeson earned her first bucket of the night with a putback to give Moses Lake a 40-26 edge over Hanford.

"We played consistently to get ahead," said Strophy. "I can't complain when we have such a balance of scoring."

Both teams weathered a field goal drought to end the game, the difference being Moses Lake's four trips to the line in the last two minutes.

Carly Noyes led the team with 14 points. Sutherland earned 11 points, including three 3-balls, for Moses Lake. McKean recorded nine points. Bergeson and Ann Noyes had six points each. Montgomery rounded out the scoring with five points.