Chiefs hold off Davis to set up big finish

MOSES LAKE 61, Davis 48

YAKIMA - So now for the appetizer...Davis High School.

As the Moses Lake Chiefs girls basketball team looked toward two

pivotal showdowns that will determine their seeding at the Big 9

district tournament, they still had a bit of business to take care

of last night in Yakima.

MOSES LAKE 61, Davis 48

YAKIMA - So now for the appetizer...Davis High School.

As the Moses Lake Chiefs girls basketball team looked toward two pivotal showdowns that will determine their seeding at the Big 9 district tournament, they still had a bit of business to take care of last night in Yakima.

Taking on a young and improving Davis team, the Chiefs dug in for their final test before their final hoops exams against Wenatchee tomorrow night and Richland on Saturday.

After a struggle in the first half of play, the Chiefs finally got their bearings and would eventually cruise to a 61-48 Big 9 win.

Moses Lake (14-3, 8-2) still has an outside chance at the league title. But Chiawana (9-1 in Big 9) is less likely to lose their last two games according to Chiefs head coach Matt Strophy. So he now aims for at least clinching the second seed in the district tournament as Richland remains in the hunt and Wenatchee would love the role of playing spoiler.

"It will be Senior Night against Wenatchee and then we play at Big Bend against Richland on Saturday," Strophy said. "Both nights we need to have our defensive game plans in place and run them and go from there. I am glad to have them at home but I would have liked to have them on our home court. But, wrestling gets to host a district tournament."

Davis battled hard against Moses Lake, making the Chiefs work for everything they had before the squads settled into a 23-23 halftime tie.

"We started slow on their Senior Night for them and they had a lot of energy, more than us because we also were ready to play," Strophy said. "We couldn't get shots to fall early. We got good shots we just couldn't get them to go in. They also took us out of it a little bit. I have to credit Davis they have much improved."

Then the Chiefs got their groove after the initial euphoria had carried their hosts.

Of course a little dose of Jordan Loera doesn't hurt.

The senior Chief got her defense cranked up and she and the inside prowess of Kayla Bernsen helped Moses Lake pull away.

"Jordan took over and Kayla we had established inside but she was getting manhandled," Strophy said. "Jordan picked up her pressure and got some steals that we could capitalize on and establish our lead. We just inched away."

Loera finished with 21 points, 10 rebounds, nine steals, and six assists, while Bernsen ended her night with 18 points and 12 rebounds.