Moses Lake undefeated in Kamiakin Summer League play

KENNEWICK - The Chiefs closed out their second set of summer league basketball games at Kamiakin High School in Kennewick with two wins Tuesday to improve to 4-0 in the competition.

Moses Lake turned back Hanford 67-44 in the first contest of the day, and then pulled out a 38-35 victory over Chiawana in the second game.

"Hanford graduated a couple four-year varsity players, so they were down a bit from previous years. They did have a player hit six 3-pointers to keep the score around the 20 point margin. If she hadn't hit those shots, the game could have really gotten out hand," coach Matt Strophy said. "The second game of the night was not as pretty as the first as the teams played tired."

Moses Lake 67

Hanford 44

Three Chiefs scored in double-figures in the 23 point win over the Falcons. McKenna Walker and Kaitlyn Stevens knocked down 15 each. Jessie Loera finished with 11, Madison Tudor added nine, and Carina LeFave chipped in eight in the lopsided victory. The team as a whole pulled down 33 rebounds, dished out 14 assists, had 10 steals and committed a paltry eight turnovers.

"We scored 67 points in a running clock game, so our offense was efficient, but we had opportunities inside of five feet we didn't capitalize on," Strophy said. "We need to realize that we are competing against the game and our own expectations of how we should play, not what the score is against any particular opponent.  Missing layins is never good no matter what the score is or who the opponent is. It was a good win, but we have to play consistent basketball in order to improve and prepare ourselves for all the things that will come our way."

Moses Lake 38

Chiawana 35

Jessie Loera set the pace for the Chiefs in the win over the Riverhawks with 16 points, three rebounds, five steals and five assists. McKenna Walker added 12 points and four boards, and Karina LeFave finished six points and three steals.

"Chiawana played a great man defense and took away our inside game, so had we to rely on our perimeter shooting. Luckily, our shots were going in," Strophy said. "They went on a run late to make the game interesting, but we held on over the last two minutes. This is a confidence booster for us though, and we'll take it."

The Chiefs drained nine shots from behind the arch in the three-point win.

Moses Lake beat host Kamiakin 41-30, and Hermiston 41-35 June 6.

"We played a nice all-around game against Kamiakin. We were unselfish and spread out the scoring as 10 of 11 players scored," Strophy said. "Hermiston was another quality opponent that gave us a great game. We were up more than 10 points late, but they made a game of it. Finishing out games has been a struggle for us, but Kaitlyn Stevens knocked down both of her free throws at the end to solidify our win."

The Chiefs are back in action this weekend to take part in the Wenatchee Tournament. Moses Lake heads to Spokane Sunday for the Gonzaga Team Camp.