Chiefs girls advance to districts with win
Moses Lake senior Carly Noyes (33) prepares to grab a pass during the first half of the Chiefs' win over the Davis Pirates on Jan. 20. Photo by Derrick Pacheco/Columbia Basin Herald
YAKIMA, Wash. — The Moses Lake Chiefs girls basketball team wrapped up a home district playoff game Tuesday night when they steam-rolled the Davis Pirates 63-31.
Moses Lake overcame a string of slow starts Tuesday night when they jumped out to an early 18-6 lead in the first quarter.
The Chiefs dominated the Pirates in the second quarter, going on a 14-2 run before the half to take a commanding 32-8 lead into the break.
Moses Lake head coach Matt Strophy said his Chiefs were the better team Tuesday night.
“We pretty much throttled them,” he said. “We did a good job of jumping on them.”
Moses Lake continued to control the game in the second half, outscoring the Pirates 31-23 over the final 16 minutes to wrap up their Columbia Basin Big Nine regular season with a 9-3 conference record.
Moses Lake senior Carly Noyes added to her Big Nine all-time scoring record with 24 points, pushing her career total to 1,715.
Sophomore Jordan Loera was phenomenal Tuesday night, recording her first triple-double at Moses Lake with 13 points 12 rebounds and 10 assists.
Senior Kelly Sutherland, who missed four games with a foot injury, has continued to contribute for the fifth-ranked Chiefs. Sutherland has averaged nearly 10 points per game since returning from the injury Jan. 30 against Pasco.
While it is nice to have the senior back in the lineup, Strophy said her replacements played well when she was out.
“I think it’s a confidence booster,” he said. “The girls who played in her absence did a (great) job.”
Although the Chiefs picked up their game with Sutherland out, Strophy said she brings intangibles to the court for Moses Lake.
“Her experience and her swagger (are hard to replace),” he said.
With the victory, Moses Lake finished second in the Big Nine’s Columbia Division and will host Eastmont Saturday night at Moses Lake High School.
The opening tip for Saturday’s district opener is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
Although the Chiefs meet Eastmont in the first game of the postseason, Strophy is confident in his team’s abilities.
“We beat them by 17 points at their place earlier in the season,” he said. “We didn’t play very well. I think we are better now, but I think they are better, too.”