Cadets no match for determined Chiefs

MOSES LAKE - It's not the best scenario to have 13 days off after a three-game losing streak, but that's what the Moses Lake girls were faced with entering this weekend's Columbia Basin League basketball games.

The Chiefs hadn't seen game action since Dec. 29 when they walked off the Auburn-Riverside High School floor as 52-49 losers to Mount Tahoma. That capped a frustrating three-day tournament in which Moses Lake's previously perfect record was marred by Oregon power Sheldon and Washington powers Mount Tahoma and Lake Stevens.

It would've been understandable had the Chiefs shown some early rust against the Eisenhower Cadets on Friday, but Moses Lake started fast and never let off the throttle, rolling to an 80-34 victory.

"It was nice to come out on our home court after 13 days off with that comfort level," Chiefs head coach Matt Strophy said. "We do still have a lot of things to clean up, but you can't argue with a 46-point win.

"It was nice to get that confidence back, that we know we're a good team."

Last weekend's showdown at CBL contender Walla Walla was postponed because of a power outage, meaning the Chiefs had plenty of rest entering Friday's contest with Eisenhower.

Moses Lake looked plenty fresh in the first period as point guard Jordan Loera ran the Cadets' backcourt ragged. The freshman scored the game's first seven points, then found Carly Noyes with a pretty fast-break pass for an easy lay-up. Moses Lake scored the first 12 points and 26-8 after one period.

The Chiefs' offensive success, however, was a direct result of stifling defense that barely allowed Eisenhower a chance to set up a shot. Fatigue and frustration was evident on the Cadets' faces during early timeouts.

"That's what we tell the girls - defense creates the offense, always," Strophy said. "We knew that we could press these guys and so we did that in order to be able to work on some things.

"We need to be able to do that on occasion against the better teams, be that Pasco, Richland or Walla Walla."

In fact, Strophy didn't relent on some form of full-court pressure until the fourth quarter, when the Chiefs had opened a 69-21 lead.

"Some people might think that's kind of bush league, not very high class, but we're here to work on things and make us better," he said. "The girls, they really want to get after it, and that's nice. I think we had some defensive lapses over that holiday tournament."

Noyes was the dominating force she usually is in the low post, scoring a game-high 26 points. She hit 8 of 10 free-throw attempts, and the Chiefs made 22 of 30 chances at the charity stripe - a nice turnaround from the Auburn tournament when they made just 45 percent over three games.

Loera scored 10 of her 21 points in the first quarter, and led a half-court attack that was successful - just not the way Strophy would like them to be.

"Some of our execution in our half-court sets, even though we get a shot and sometimes we score, it wasn't what we've been working toward," he said. "And that gets frustrating for us on the sideline."

Strophy said the Auburn tournament was a chance see where the team stacks up against the state's best. The coaching staff tracked three key statistics during the event - turnovers, free throws and second-chance points - and while Moses Lake did poorly in all three, their losses were all close ones.

"We can play with anybody in the state, and I have no doubts about that," Strophy said.

The Chiefs had 77 turnovers and gave up 36 second-chance points on 42 offensive rebounds at the tourney.

"When we hit that district, regional and state tournament, if we can play those three areas of the game like we want to, I don't think there are many teams out there that can play with us," Strophy added.