Big Bend splits at home

MOSES LAKE - With only seven players available for a two-game home set this past weekend, the Big Bend Lady Vikings that hit the floor showed they were definitely up to the task.

It may have not looked that way following their 104-75 loss to Blue Mountain on Friday night, but the team showed their mettle as the Lady Vikings bounced back for a 73-69 win over Treasure Valley at Peter DeVries Activity Center.

The split helped the Lady Vikings (9-8, 2-3) salvage at least a split in Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges (NWAACC) play, after the suspension of four players due to team personnel issues.

Yet, the seven players found a way to make something out of what could have been nothing, especially following their disappointing loss on Friday.

"I have never seen anything close at all to what we witnessed in the first half of that game," Big Bend head coach Preston Wilks said. "BMCC shot incredibly well. Couple their mind-boggling shooting with our cold shooting, and you can see why we were down big at halftime."

Blue Mountain (10-7, 2-3) shot an almost unheard of 89 percent from the field in the first half to take a 54-25 lead after the first 20 minutes of play.

On the flipside, Big Bend shot a woeful 29 percent.

Both teams settled into a shootout style of play in the second half and played an even 50-50 game, but the damage had already been done.

"I was so proud of the way the ladies competed in the second half," Wilks said. "I was thrilled with the effort from those seven players we had.  They never gave up, and there was no quit in them."

Despite having to play some of his roster out of position to make up for the personnel loses, the Lady Vikings committed only 13 turnovers with some having to play an unfamiliar role at guard.

Ali Nielsen led Big Bend with 17 points and nine rebounds, Othello High School graduate Tiffany Martinez added 15 points and six rebounds, Moses Lake alum Chayla Hirz contributed 12 points and five assists, and Royal Lady Knight graduate Leslie Brown finished with 12 points.

On Saturday, despite some weary legs, the Lady Vikings held on for their win over Treasure Valley (3-12, 0-5).

"I called them the 'Magnificent Seven' all this week and they pulled out a great performance against TVCC," Wilks said. "Chayla Hirz came out and showed some great leadership, hitting all three of her three-balls in the first ten minutes of the game.  The girls responded to her great start and we led the entire game."

Big Bend led 33-29 at halftime and would shoot 54 percent for the game, including a solid 68 percent in the second half.

One stat that showed how they depleted Lady Vikings pulled out the win came via bench points scoring. Despite having only two players to turn to off of the bench, Big Bend's still outscored TVCC's 23-19 for the game.

Nielsen finished with 19 points and 12 rebounds while Hirz added 12 points.

Brown also scored 11 points in the win.

Big Bend did struggle with the ball more this particular night with 37 turnovers.

"Although we had many turnovers this game, the ladies got the job done when we needed a bucket or a defensive stop," Wilks said. "Dayanna Lopez played through some pain in her knee and ended up with nine assists today.

"Again, I can't say enough about these seven ladies," Wilks added. "We had to overcome the challenge of suspending players this week, but I believe all of the ladies involved on this team will benefit from going through this challenge. It was a great lesson to all of us involved of perseverance and facing our challenges."