Chiefs fight back, only to fall at buzzer

Blue Devils 59, Chiefs 56

MOSES LAKE - For the first quarter of Tuesday's game, the Moses Lake boys looked like a team that had lost seven straight in the Columbia Basin League.

For the final three quarters, however, the Chiefs looked like the league's best team.

The Chiefs' effort over the final 24 minutes, however, wasn't enough to erase a disastrous start, and Moses Lake fell to 3-13 overall, 0-8 in league with a 59-56 defeat to the Walla Walla Blue Devils.

For Chiefs head coach Rolland Hansen, his players' mental approach early on was the decisive factor.

"They came out tentative. They felt a lot of pressure tonight to win that game," Hansen said. "We've got to come out, play our game, take care of business, and not be so concerned with that scoreboard, because I think it stressed them out."

Second-place Walla Walla (12-4, 6-2) started the game with a 15-0 run, putting Moses Lake in a 19-6 hole after one quarter. Gary Winston and Michael Weisner combined for 16 points in the opening period, and the Blue Devils looked to be starting a rout.

But Moses Lake calmed down and slowly chipped away at the lead, eventually cutting its deficit to 57-56 with 1 minute, 33 seconds left. Up 59-56, Walla Walla's Michael Najera missed the front end of a 1-and-1, allowing the Chiefs to set up a potential game-tying play.

Josh Loera, who led all scorers with 24 points, got a nice look at a 3-pointer from the left wing, but the shot was just off target as the final buzzer sounded.

"If it hadn't been for a few power plays they got at the end, we could've finished it," Hansen said. "We just didn't get the lucky roll tonight."

Loera, who was fifth in the league last week at 16.7 points per game, has upped his play in the last two games. He scored 20 in Moses Lake's 76-53 defeat at Walla Walla on Friday, and was 9 of 19 from the floor - 5 of 10 from 3-point land - on Tuesday.

"That's nothing new for Josh - he's been playing that way for four or five games," Hansen said.

Perhaps the biggest spark came from senior Jarred Walker, who buried a pair of treys during the third quarter and had a critical steal and layup in the fourth quarter. Walker finished with 15 points, eight rebounds and four assists, and made a huge difference after missing Friday's game to attend a football camp.

"For Jarred to come out and play that well tonight, that was really nice," Hansen said.

Hansen also noted his team's strong effort on rebounds and full-court pressure defense. The Chiefs had a 27-24 edge on the glass - including 15 offensive boards - and scored 15 points off 10 turnovers.

"I love that full-court press because it gets the kids fired up," he said. "Not only the players but the crowd goes crazy, and that's when you've got the other team mentally where you want them.

"Offensive rebounds helped tonight - we went after the ball," Hansen added. "It's a whole different attitude, and that just makes us a much better team."

Michael Olaniyan added 13 points and nine rebounds for the Chiefs. Winston paced the Blue Devils with 18 points, Weisner had 17 and Spencer Hessler added 12. Neither team shot well at the free-throw line - Moses Lake was 8 of 14 and Walla Walla was 7 of 13.

Moses Lake hosts Eisenhower on Friday at 7:30 p.m. The Chiefs are preparing themselves to shut down Jordan Elmo and Taylor Elmo, who are both averaging about 14 points per game to lead the Cadets.

"We've got a lot of tape on them," Hansen noted. "We know that basically, offensively, they're a two-man team.

"It comes down now to a four-game season," he added. "We learned a lot tonight. I think the guys got through that first-quarter pressure and decided we'd just play our butts off."