Chiefs survive loss of Loera in big win

MOSES LAKE - There are no such things as basketball gods.

But, maybe, just maybe, for one night, there might have been one

keeping tabs on the Moses Lake Chiefs girls basketball team.

MOSES LAKE - There are no such things as basketball gods.

But, maybe, just maybe, for one night, there might have been one keeping tabs on the Moses Lake Chiefs girls basketball team.

Leading 44-40 late in the game against arch-rivals Wenatchee, the Chiefs saw the disqualification of its best player with over four minutes to go after a questionable officiating decision.

Now, with Jordan Loera no longer at the Chiefs' disposal, Moses Lake would have to dig deep and find a new savior.

Enter, their mythological guardian angel.

With 2:20 left and the Panthers pressing play, sophomore Chiefs guard Courtney Kunjara, all of five-foot, had the ball in her hands with the shot clock running down.

Moments later the smallest player on the court would hit the biggest shot of her career to date, a three-point dagger with 2:21 left to give Moses Lake a 47-40 lead which would ultimately propel her team to a 52-43 victory.

"I felt pretty great," Kunjara said. "I am not usually the one that goes to score. When I caught the ball, I just shot it, and it was amazing. With the crowd screaming it was intense.

"It came to me as a surprise," Kunjara said. "I know most of the team depends on Jordan to shoot. So it surprises me but also boosts my confidence that I can now take the shot and can make it."

Moses Lake (16-3, 9-2) outscored Wenatchee, 10-7 with Loera out of the game.

"From where we are now in the season this is definitely a huge part that we have been missing," Loera said. "Everybody playing together in practice and how we apply it to the game finally came through. We dug deep and that is awesome.

"That was a nice shot too," Loera added.

Kunjara who scored all five of her points in the fourth quarter helped break the Wenatchee pressure all night while coming up big when it counted.

"That was a huge opportunity for Courtney to assert her varsity level ability and she came through," Moses Lake head coach Matt Strophy. "That was the hugest shot of her life for us and that clinched the win for us. Also her ability to handle the ball helped take the pressure off."

The first quarter may have been a product of Senior Night blues, but neither team really seemed set in any form of rhythm as the two rivals battled it out over an unremarkable first eight minutes.

Moses Lake would lead 10-8 after the end of the quarter despite shooting 4-for-10 from the field and committing five turnovers.

Wenatchee didn't do much better hitting 3-of-8 from the field while being forced into seven turnovers.

"We were feeling each other out to see how things were going to go," Strophy said. "It's just a matter of getting the Senior Night energies and feelings out and get focused back on basketball. It takes awhile to get through that."

One thing that didn't help Moses Lake's cause was fouling the Panthers into the bonus before the first quarter had even ended.

In fact the two teams were called for 22 first half fouls in a game that wasn't necessarily that physical.

"I believe that the calls affect every team and how they decide to play," Strophy said. "It affected us because our three bigs had to be on the bench for most of the second quarter and we were forced to go young. It takes our team out of the rhythm usually but we did pretty well in the style of the game that was being called."

In the second quarter the Chiefs got hot from the field, hitting five straight, including four baskets by sophomore Kyleigh Gamez.

"It's very important to give Jordan and Kayla  (Bernsen) a break and we need to step up," Gamez said. "When I got the ball I tried to do my best to take over and score some points for my team."

Yet, despite forcing Wenatchee into five straight turnovers before halftime, Moses Lake failed to take advantage of their defensive play as they went only 3-of-10 from the free throw line while not converting any of their one-and-ones.

"I wasn't frustrated as much with an eight point lead due to the personnel we had on the floor," Strophy said. "I am just frustrated with our free throw shooting for the entire game. We have been brutal the last six or seven games shooting under 50 percent."

Two Gamez free throws right before the buzzer, gave the Chiefs a 28-20 lead at the intermission.

Moses Lake did offset their poor free throw shooting with a 10-for-19 display from the field while forcing 16 turnovers by the Panthers.

"I think we've gotten better taking shots within the offense," Strophy said. "That is a big key for us. If we can be smart enough and not force things we shoot really well."

After halftime the game once again failed to get any semblance of a smooth run of play with a rain of whistles and almost as many turnovers.

Gamez found a way through the Wenatchee defense twice late in the quarter with two power drives to put the Chiefs back up by six to answer Panthers scores.

Wenatchee managed to score the last basket making it 38-34 going into the fourth quarter.

"We know that we have the ability to score a lot of points in a hurry," Strophy said. "It's nice to have those kids that can step up because it was stressful going into the quarter. But the girls have the ability to stay calm about things."

The Chiefs shot 50 percent in the third quarter to balance out six turnovers.

Things got even more tense for Moses Lake as Wenatchee scored the fourth quarter's first three points to cut the gap to 38-37.

Loera's steal and layup moments later gave the Chiefs a 40-37 lead at the 6:24 mark.

"I definitely had to turn it up and in those times I know that all we can do is to work hard and be smart about it," Loera said. "It turned the game and especially with a hustle play like that, it gets the team fired up. I think it carried over because watching from the sidelines our girls didn't give up and even with the lead they played knowing it wasn't over and we had to carry that intensity."

Magie Munoz would hit a layup on the next possession to bump the lead back up to 42-37 before the real drama ensued.

Loera was first called with her fourth foul at 4:44 for pushing off while fighting through an illegal screen.

Then seconds later her regular season playing career at Maroon Gym would end on a foul call on the University of Oregon-bound Loera - who was under the basket - by the official placed at halfcourt.

With 4:24 the Chiefs were left with a player, who had come through big so may times for her team, being relegated to assistant coach against their biggest rival.

"Honestly I would have to look at the call on the film," Strophy said. "Two quick fouls to get her out of the game is tough to deal with. You want the kids to decide the game on the floor."

However, Moses Lake would show the fight that will be needed as the postseason looms.

Munoz would receive a stellar interior bounce back from Bernsen and convert the layup for a 44-37 lead.

Wenatchee then hit a three-pointer, making it 44-40 at the 3:58 mark.

Both teams would trade turnovers and misses before Kunjara faced her shining moment to only seconds later shine so bright.

"It was a big step for us especially with this being Jordan's senior year," Kunjara said. "We encouraged each other and it ended up working out. Jordan always works so hard and is so competitive, we didn't want to throw her game away and everything we had done."

From there the Chiefs would finish things at the line, scoring their last five points at the charity stripe as they held the Panthers in check to finish off the win.

Moses Lake ended up a poor 8-for-30 from the free throw line.

Thankfully, they shot 19-for-37 from the field while forcing Wenatchee into 25 turnovers while committing 19 of their own.

In total, 51 fouls were called on the night.

"Overall I couldn't be more proud of the girls," Strophy said. "Take away the free throws and we played a great game. Our defensive game plan was executed and they did a great job stepping up. It's always a bonus if the other team can take out your best player and you still win. It says a lot about the depth of our program and the quality of our kids."

Loera finished with 17 points and Gamez added 15 points for Moses Lake who look to beat Richland tomorrow night at Big Bend CC starting at 7:30 p.m. A win clinches second place in the Big 9 and a home district playoff game next weekend.

It also would give them some payback after losing in Richland last month.

Maybe a win like this without Loera there in the pinch could be the defining moment that could spark the Chiefs to another post season run.

"This win without Jordan on the court shows any of us can take over at any time," Gamez said. "It shows that the younger girls can take over too. But it would have been nice to still have her on the floor though."