Moses Lake finishes fourth, Jessie Loera dazzles in final high school game

TACOMA - It was fitting that the last point of Jessie Loera’s high school career was the most important.

After Lewis and Clark’s Taylor Cunningham swished a corner three-pointer to trim Moses Lake’s lead to three points, Loera was fouled with just over 10 seconds to play.

Loera stepped to the line and drained the front end of a one-and-one free throw opportunity, pushing the Chiefs’ lead to four points. Her second shot missed, but time ran out and Moses Lake (25-1) edged Lewis and Clark for fourth place in state 62-58.

Gonzaga bound next year, Loera played 31 out of a possible 32 minutes with 24 points, seven assists, four steals and two rebounds.

“It was my last game and I had to give it all I got,” she said. “I pumped the team up and I pumped myself up and we all came out together as a family and just played our hardest and had fun at the same time.”

Lewis and Clark attempted to play spoiler in the first quarter when Riley Lupfer traded shots with Loera. Both players finished with 11 points each after eight minutes and the Tigers held a 19-13 lead.

“I was surprised to see Lupfer knock down that many shots early,” head coach Matt Strophy said. “I guess when you’re fresh, but this early in the morning I thought maybe she would not be as on as she started out to be and we did have some missed defensive assignments early on.”

Lupfer scored a game-high 25 points.

Moses Lake trailed by as much as eight points in the second quarter before Jamie Loera ignited a 10-0 run that vaulted the Chiefs ahead 27-23.

She finished with 11 points in the first half and capped a 24-point second quarter with a three-pointer from the left wing as time expired. For the second game in a row Moses Lake closed a quarter with a buzzer-beating three and held a 37-31 lead at halftime.

“It started a lot of momentum,” Jamie Loera said. “Once we had the momentum we could come in the third quarter and just continue it. And just giving that to the team from me, it feels good to help us get the win and get us pumped up.”

Moses Lake led 60-52 with 1:41 left before Lewis and Clark made its final push.

Lupfer converted a three-point play and Cunningham hit from deep to force Jessie Loera to make her final free throw.

Playing in their last high school game together, Jessie and Jamie Loera combined for 43 of Moses Lake’s 62 points.

“I kind of imagined this game last night and this morning and it was just, ‘we’ve got to come out together and play hard and just play together as a team and us two together as sisters,’ and we did that,” Jamie Loera said. “It was pretty cool.”

NOTE: Jessie Loera was named to the all-tournament first team and Jamie Loera made the second team.