Trying to reach next step, Chiefs take on Walla Walla

MOSES LAKE - Having hit a low point of finishing 3-17 in 2010 and missing out on the Big 9 district playoffs the Moses Lake Chiefs began their rebirth with a strong finish to the current campaign.

With a big win over Big 9 champions Davis last week and a good run of play, the Chiefs finished 7-13 overall and 4-8 in the league, good enough to finish in fifth place.

It was also what the team needed to put itself into this year's district tournament playoffs.

Now, the Chiefs begin their next step in the evolution of discovering just how far they have come this season when they tip off tournament play tomorrow night at Walla Walla against the fourth-seeded, host Blue Devils, in a loser out contest.

Walla Walla (9-11) owns the regular season edge against the Chiefs by virtue of their season sweep.

The Chiefs lost the most recent battle, 61-46 in Walla Walla and fell 65-54 in overtime last month after holding a big lead.

"First of all, Walla Walla is a well rounded team," Moses Lake first year coach John Hohman said. "They execute very well, are disciplined, and they bring it every night. I thought we played well against them at our place we just didn't have enough in the tank to finish it. Down there I thought we didn't play well, didn't play smart or together.  Plus we didn't shoot well."

Despite the Walla Walla sweep, the margin between both teams may be smaller than the results indicate.

"I think we match up very well," Hohman said. "Down there we shot eight percent from the three-point line and didn't play well. We have to play tougher since it was one of the few games we didn't play well together. We also have to have balanced scoring. We had open looks and we gave them everything they wanted. I am looking forward to this game because we want to redeem ourselves. The boys have something to prove."

If Moses Lake were to win they would travel to Yakima the next day for a 7 p.m. district semifinal against Davis.

"I just see a huge opportunity with the bracket we are in," Hohman said. "Just the way how well we played against Davis, I feel that we can't ask for a better situation. You can call me crazy but I think it's a great opportunity for us. We just have to take advantage of that."

Another thing the Chiefs will need this weekend is a lot more contributions from up and down their roster.

Senior Matt Franz leads the way scoring 15 ppg, while classmates Kyler Moats, Matt Adame, and Gabe Porter average between seven and eight-points apiece.

Junior Bryce Perez also scores in that range but Hohman needs more players to step up and score in double digits.

"We need to get more people involved in our offense and we have to play smart and together," Hohman said. "I think we need to shoot better, play harder, and finally we have to play together to succeed this weekend."

MOSES LAKE CHIEFS:

Starters: Seniors Matt Franz, Matt Adame, Kyler Moats, and Gabe Porter; Junior Bryce Perez.

Substitutes: Seniors, Dylan Miller and Kody Samuels; Juniors, Cliff Phillips and Kevin Bennett.