Chiefs win with balance, poise

TACOMA - The Moses Lake girls knew they had one tough player to match up with in Wednesday's 4A state tournament opener.

The Jackson Timberwolves, on the other hand, might not have known they had four tough players to contend with.

The Chiefs' fearsome foursome of Jordan Loera, Ann Noyes, Carly Noyes and Kelly Sutherland produced all the offense, and 10th-ranked Moses Lake survived a late push to beat No. 3 Jackson 63-57 at the Tacoma Dome.

Jackson had won 21 straight games coming in, including a district championship, but Moses Lake (22-5) proved it was better than the third seed it earned at regionals. Loera, Sutherland and the Noyes sisters combined for all 63 of the Chiefs' points, and that was enough to overcome the game-high 27 points of Jackson star Kristi Kingma.

The Chiefs move into the quarterfinals tonight at 7 p.m. against the Kentwood Conquerors, 66-46 victors over Skyview on Wednesday. Jackson (22-2) drops into the consolation bracket and plays Skyview at noon today.

"We were a little nervous because it's our first time here and they're ranked No. 3 in the state," Chiefs coach Matt Strophy said, adding that Jackson might have been a bit intimidated by drawing a strong first-round foe in Moses Lake. "I don't think they've seen a defense like ours."

The Timberwolves tied a state tournament record by making 10 shots from 3-point range, including three by Kingma, a University of Washington recruit who averages 22 points per game. But Jackson didn't give Kingma enough support, as Ashley Todd was the only other player to score in double figures (11).

Moses Lake attempted 12 fewer field goals than Jackson, thanks to a number of offensive rebounds and turnovers. But the Chiefs made the most of their possessions, shooting 23 of 47 from the floor (48.9 percent). The Timberwolves were 23 of 59 (38.9 percent).

The Chiefs figured they'd have to deal with Jackson's vaunted full-court pressure at some point, and they did. Trailing 51-42 early in the fourth period, the Timberwolves' press forced seven turnovers in eight possessions. Moses Lake finished the night with 15 turnovers.

Kingma drove to the basket and scored to bring Jackson within a point at the 2:47 mark, but the Chiefs kept their poise down the stretch.

Loera, who finished with 10 points, hit four straight free throws in the final minute to push the lead back to six. Ann Noyes, who contributed 16 points, five rebounds and six assists, made two more in the closing seconds as Moses Lake finished 15 of 18 at the charity stripe.

Strophy said Ann Noyes was the biggest key to the win because of her contribution at both ends of the floor. The senior got the game ball after matching up with Kingma for the second half, a move that got the Jackson star somewhat off her game. Noyes played all 32 minutes and committed only one turnover.

"At halftime we made the adjustment and we put Ann up at the top of our matchup zone," Strophy said. "Ann's got enough quickness and athleticism and height that we needed, that we really frustrated Kingma.

"She still scored, but not like she did in the first half. It was a huge adjustment for us."

Carly Noyes was the story of the first half for the Chiefs. She scored 16 of her 23 points before halftime, and repeatedly abused the shorter, less physical Jackson defenders inside. Noyes also grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds.

Sutherland also had a huge contribution with 14 points and eight boards. The junior guard's biggest shot came in the final three minutes, when she drove and hit with the shot clock winding down to make it 57-52.

"We came and did a solid job offensively," Strophy noted. "Sixty-three points in a state tournament game is pretty solid.

"People are struggling here in a wide-open space and I think playing at the Tri-Cities' Toyota Center (during regionals) really paid off for us."

The Chiefs led by as many as six in the first quarter as the Noyes sisters worked a little give-and-go. Ann posted up for an easy layup off Carly's feed, and Ann returned the favor moments later as Carly completed a 3-point play.

But the Timberwolves stormed back, tying the score at 15-15 with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to end the period. They sent Carly Noyes to the bench with some brief foul trouble in the second, and led by four when Kingma banked in a short jumper.

Loera put Moses Lake back in front by a point after Lorin Montgomery stole the ball and fed her underneath. Chanel Sam's late 3-pointer restored Jackson's lead at 32-30 going to the half.

Moses Lake used a 7-0 run midway through the third, took the lead and never trailed again. Ann Noyes scored four of those points, then set up Carly Noyes for a 3-point play that gave the Chiefs a 41-36 cushion.

Moses Lake had its biggest lead at nine early in the fourth after Loera drained a long jumper and the Noyes sisters hooked up again on a low-post play.

Kentwood is much like Jackson in its guard-oriented approach, and Strophy thinks the Chiefs' biggest obstacle to a semifinal berth will be matching up with guard Lindsey Moore, who scored 24 points in the first round.

"She's somebody we have to focus on and contain," he said. "I think their post play is better than Jackson's, but not as good as ours."

ML 15 15 17 16 -63

Jackson 15 17 10 15 -57

MOSES LAKE (63): Sutherland 14, Loera 10, Montgomery, A. Noyes 16, C. Noyes 23, Brischle, Ballinger. Totals 23-47 15-18 63.

JACKSON (57): Bruns 7, Sam 3, Kingman 27, Todd 11, Feeney 9, Kirton, ONeal, Harkness. Totals 23-59 1-5 57.