Chiefs advance past Bombers

MOSES LAKE — Despite struggling for more than 30 minutes Tuesday night, the Chiefs girls basketball team came together in the fourth quarter to defeat the Richland Bombers 54-48 in their tournament regional opener.

Moses Lake head coach Matt Strophy said the Chiefs were able to pull off the victory thanks to his team’s determination.

“We have heart and desire,” Strophy said. “That’s it. It came down to having some pride and heart.”

Moses Lake and Richland played tight through the first quarter before the Bombers were able to break the Chiefs’ press late in the quarter to take a 16-15 lead.

With the Chiefs trailing entering the second quarter, the Bombers continued to pressure Moses Lake.  Richland took a 21-17 lead with 5 minutes left in the half before a 3-point basket from Moses Lake sophomore Jordan Loera cut the deficit to 21-20.

Loera finished with 12 points.

However, Richland freshman Jalyn Von Oelhoffen hit a pair of 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions to push the Bombers to a 27-21 lead.

After a Moses Lake foul sent Von Oelhoffen to the line, the freshman sank both of her free-throw attempts to give the Bombers a 29-21 advantage.

The Bombers would take their largest lead of the game at 31-21 with a basket on their next possession before the Chiefs came alive.

Following a basket from Moses Lake junior Tiffany Morris that cut the lead to 31-23, Loera hit a pair of free throws to help the Chiefs pull within six points at 31-25.

After Loera’s free throws, a tough Moses Lake defense forced a Richland turnover and senior Carly Noyes sank a jump shot to send the Chiefs into the half with a 31-27 deficit.

With the Chiefs down at the half, Strophy said he challenged his team in the locker room.

“I told them they needed to come out and play with pride,” he said.

The Chiefs started the second half with a 4-0 run to pull even with the Bombers thanks to a basket from senior Chayla Hirz and another from Loera.

With the game tied at 31-31, the Bombers hit a 3-point shot on their next possession to reclaim the lead at 34-31. The Chiefs answered on their next trip down the court to tie the game at 34-34.

With the game tied with 4 minutes left in the third quarter, the Bombers outscored the Chiefs 11-7 down the stretch to take a four-point 45-41 lead into the fourth.

The Chiefs rallied again to start the fourth quarter as Moses Lake worked to pull even with the Bombers at 45-45. Noyes went 1-for-2 at the free-throw line on the Chiefs’ next offensive possession to give Moses Lake a 46-45 lead with 5:05 left to play.

Following solid defensive stands from both the Bombers and the Chiefs, Hirz pushed the Moses Lake lead to 48-45 with 3:17 left in the regional tournament opener.

After Hirz’s basket, Loera forced a Richland turnover with 1:57 left to play before dumping the ball down low to Noyes for a 50-45 Moses Lake lead.

The Bombers brought the ball down the court before senior Shelby Kenner pressured Richland sophomore Chelsey Bettinson into traveling, giving possession back to the Chiefs with 1:08 left to play.

On the ensuing possession the Chiefs worked through their offense, draining both the game clock and the shot clock.

With time winding down in the game, Noyes hit a turnaround hook shot as the shot clock expired to give the Chiefs a 52-45 lead with 38 seconds left.

Noyes, who finished with a game-leading 18 points, said it was necessary to get the win Tuesday night.

“It wasn’t our best game,” she said. “We still came out with the win. That’s the important thing.”

The Bombers scored on their next possession to cut the Moses Lake lead to 52-48.

Moses Lake senior Kelly Sutherland grabbed the inbounds pass to start the clock before the Chiefs locked down the home victory.

The Chiefs outscored the Bombers 13-3 in the final quarter and Noyes said it was important for her team to close out the win.

“At the end we really didn’t let down,” she said. “We knew we had to kick it into gear.”

While Strophy wasn’t particularly proud of the way his team played Tuesday night, he was glad to get the victory.

“We clicked enough (to win),” he said. “What I wanted us to do all game long, we didn’t do until (the last 4 minutes).”

After the win, Strophy said his team needs to focus on playing better basketball Friday in second round of the regional tournament.

“If we play like we did tonight, we will get thumped,” he said of his team’s chances in the second round. “Hopefully (we) figure out what we need to do better and play well on a consistent basis.”

The Chiefs travel to the Toyota Center Friday at 4 p.m. to play the winner of the Mead-Eastmont regional game.

Moses Lake High School will take a rooter bus to the regional tournament Friday, Moses Lake Athletic Director Loren Sandhop said.

The bus will depart at 2 p.m. and will have enough room for approximately 40 students.

“(The students) have to have their permission slip and $5 turned in to ride the bus,” he said. “It is a first-come, first-serve basis.”

The Chiefs are one win away from clinching another trip to the WIAA state girls basketball tournament.