Moses Lake boys advance

WENATCHEE - Moses Lake boys basketball has made history.

For just the fourth time in school history (1958, 1992, 1998, 2014), Chiefs boys basketball advanced past the district tournament after defeating Davis in the first round, 63-52.

"It was phenomenal," head coach John Hohman said. "It's only happened four times in the history of Moses Lake High School."

Also, it is the first time Moses Lake has advanced to the 4A regional since 1992.

Moses Lake (9-6, 13-9) entered the District 6 4A Tournament as the No. 4 seed, but drew a favorable matchup in Columbia Basin Big Nine champion Davis (12-3, 16-5).

The Chiefs took 2/3 regular season meetings against the Pirates and won by an average margin of 18.5 points.

Moses Lake jumped on Davis early and lead 15-8 after one quarter. After entering the break with a six-point lead, the Chiefs pummelled Davis on the glass and punched their ticket to regionals.

"It was a phenomenal experience," Hohman said. "It was the greatest thing ... It was awesome to share that with those guys that I've been with for four years. I wish anybody could've stepped into that locker room with us."

Throughout the season, Moses Lake's big men have held a distinct advantage over Davis and it was no different Friday.

Sophomore center Cesar Sandoval scored a game-high 18 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. Fellow post, junior Tyson Karstetter matched Sandoval's double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds.

Junior forward Mitch Hohman and senior guard Josh Hirz scored 11 and 10 points, respectively.

Despite the bulk of Moses Lake's scoring coming from sophomores and juniors, Hohman knows who keeps his team afloat.

"Our leadership comes from our older guys," he said. "From my captains on down through those guys that don't play. That's where your core of our team is are the guys that don't play. That's how you know whether or not you're going to be successful and it's because of those guys that we are successful."

Moses Lake fell just short of a district championship after losing to Wenatchee, 56-50.

After leading by 15 points early in the second quarter, Wenatchee outscored the Chiefs 21-4 and led 25-19 entering halftime.

The Panthers were able to hold on to edge the Chiefs with a 19-16 fourth quarter.

Karstetter recorded his second straight double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds.

Moses Lake faces Richland 8 p.m. Friday at Chiawana.

The Bombers are undefeated this season with a 21-0 record overall.

"I think they're one of the best teams in the state of Washington and they deserve all the accolades they've received," Hohman said.