Chiefs find win column in CBL as Olaniyan dominates
File photoMichael Olaniyan (left) had a big weekend for Moses Lake's boys, who swept Eisenhower and Davis for their first two league wins of the season.
Boys basketball recaps
MOSES LAKE - The odds are still long, but the Moses Lake Chiefs have retained some hope of qualifying for the Columbia Basin League district playoffs.
The Chiefs won their first two CBL games over the weekend, holding off the visiting Eisenhower Cadets 63-59 on Friday and going on the road to knock off the Davis Pirates 76-64 on Saturday.
Moses Lake (5-13 overall, 2-8 CBL) is now 1 1/2 games behind Davis entering Tuesday's 7:30 p.m. home game with the Richland Bombers. The Chiefs will likely have to beat Richland and Pasco on Thursday to catch Davis for the league's sixth and final playoff spot.
Against Eisenhower, Michael Olaniyan had a huge outing with 20 points, nine rebounds and three steals. Leading scorer Josh Loera managed just seven, but had two critical free throws late in the fourth quarter to seal the deal.
Jarred Walker and Casey Hudson each scored 11 for the Chiefs, helping to offset the game-high 27 points of the Cadets' Taylor Elmo.
The following night in Yakima, Olaniyan again sparked the Chiefs by posting 26 points and 21 rebounds. Moses Lake led 38-30 at halftime and didn't let off the gas, holding the Pirates to 1 of 17 on 3-point shots.
Jarred Walker finished with 17 points and three steals, with Justin Walker adding 16 points and Loera scoring 10.
Monday
Lind-Ritzville 45, Selkirk 34
SPOKANE - The Broncos stayed on track for a district title by staving off the Rangers at Spokane Falls Community College.
Lind-Ritzville trailed 21-20 at halftime, but went on a 16-8 run to start the second half and held Selkirk to 13 points in the second half.
Matt Saetre led the Broncos with 14 points, Cory Whitmore scored 11 and Jamie Stevenson added eight.
The Broncos (17-3 overall) play top-seeded Northwest Christian on Wednesday at SFCC, a 6:45 p.m. start, with the winner earning the No. 1 seed to regionals.
Saturday
Royal 55, Wahluke 48
MATTAWA - A slow start didn't prevent the Knights from closing the gap for the SCAC East Division's final playoff spot, as they closed the game with a 22-12 run.
The Warriors led 9-4 after one quarter and 36-33 entering the fourth before Royal came alive. Austin Allred and Marc Albertson had 12 points apiece to pace the Knights, while Blair Collins had 11 and Michael Hebdon added eight.
Manuel Rubalcava had 11 points and 11 rebounds for Wahluke, while Juan De La Garza also scored 11.
Royal (4-11 overall, 2-7 league) trails Wahluke by one game for the fifth and final playoff berth with two games to go.
Liberty Bell 58, Soap Lake 39
SOAP LAKE - The Eagles fell victim to the visiting Mountain Lions in a North Central 2B League contest, falling behind 24-10 at halftime.
Liberty Bell (16-3 overall, 9-1 league) got 16 points each from Trevor Ahrens and Connor Walsh. Soap Lake's Marcos Delgado sliced and diced the Mountain Lions for a game-high 27, but only three of his teammates scored any points.
Soap Lake (4-14, 2-8) is at Waterville on Friday for a 7:30 p.m. start.
Entiat 81, Moses Lake Christian 52
ENTIAT - In a matchup of the North Central 1B League's top two teams, the Tigers ran away from the Lions with a fast start, rolling to a 39-22 halftime advantage.
Taylor Sandberg led the Lions with 13 points and Kameron Firouzi added 10 points, but leading scorer Adrian Moffet was held to eight. Meanwhile, Entiat had four players reach double figures, led by Kevin Arnold's 20 points. Jacob Anderson had 18, Leonardo Quezada had 10 and Dylan Crawley chipped in 10.
Moses Lake Christian (11-5 overall, 4-2 league) plays at Wilson Creek on Wednesday, a game rescheduled from this Saturday. The Lions are a half-game ahead of Pateros for the league's No. 2 seed to districts.
Friday
Soap Lake 58, Bridgeport 47
SOAP LAKE - The Eagles got their second league win of the season behind a balanced offensive attack and a huge run over the second and third quarters.
Bridgeport (3-15, 3-8) closed the game on a 17-4 run, but it didn't matter after Soap Lake blitzed the Mustangs 50-22 over the middle quarters, taking a 54-30 lead with eight minutes left.
Kyler Moats paced the Eagles with 19 points, while Taylor Baughman, Marcos Delgado and Daniel Coreas had 10 points apiece. Jose Bucio led Bridgeport with 20 points.
Wahluke 58, Warden 44
WARDEN - The Cougars dropped their 10th straight SCAC East contest, never recovering after the Warriors took a 19-11 first-quarter lead.
Kevin Whitaker led Warden (1-17 overall, 0-10 league) with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Ben Shuler added 10 points and Ben Bisnett chipped in eight.
Juan De La Garza had 20 points for Wahluke, while Manuel Rubalcava had 14 points and Alan Ramirez added eight points and 10 rebounds.
Warden is at Royal tonight for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off.