Moses Lake stifles Davis on senior night
Connor Vanderweyst/Columbia Basin Herald Moses Lake's Morgan Yamane plays full-court defense Friday against Davis.
Connor Vanderweyst/Columbia Basin Herald Moses Lake's Abby Rathbun pulls down a rebound in between two Davis defenders.
Connor Vanderweyst/Columbia Basin Herald Moses Lake point guard dribbles between Davis defenders Stella Bueno (4) and Drew Billups (10).
Connor Vanderweyst/Columbia Basin Herald Moses Lake's Jessica Olson (30) dribbles past Davis' Eliza Berman Friday at Moses Lake High School.
MOSES LAKE — Jessica Olson, Taylor Stevens, Maggie Strom and Alexya Sandmann had played together for years and years.
With the addition of transfer Charity Talo, Moses Lake was able to trot out an all-senior lineup for the final regular season home game.
That group, as well as the rest of the Chiefs, stifled Davis throughout the night en route to a 44-34 victory.
“It was fun. It felt usual because I had grown up playing with these girls,” said Sandmann, who totaled six points. “I loved every minute of it.”
Both teams began the game with stout defense as neither squad scored a field goal in the first five minutes. Jamie Loera came off the bench to score six quick points in the first period.
The Chiefs (10-2, 17-3) pulled away in the second quarter, outscoring the Pirates 18-3. Loera and Olson scored seven points each in the frame, keying a 13-0 run.
Moses Lake led 25-13 at halftime as Stella Bueno’s corner 3-pointer six minutes in was Davis’ only field goal of the second quarter.
“I was really pleased with our defense,” head coach Matt Strophy said. “We gave up a couple offensive rebounds for no points so I was really pleased our defense barring a couple possessions. If we can hold a team to 13 points, I think that’s pretty solid.”
Moses Lake’s offense slowed in the second half until a 3-pointer by Ellie Mayo at the top of the key pushed the lead back to 12 points.
Davis played its traditional hard-nosed defense, holding Moses Lake to its fourth-lowest scoring output of the season, but could not close the gap on offense. Lead guard Imani Brown was held without a field goal and only scored two points.
Moses Lake finished its season ranked third in the Ratings Percentage Index poll. Should the Chiefs win their first district game and earn a regional berth, they will match up with No. 6 Central Valley.
Moses Lake’s position was still in flux after the game, but Strophy knows to be the best you have to beat the best.
“If we have to play Central Valley in the first round of it again, well then that’s what we have to do,” he said.
Score by quarters
Moses Lake — 7 18 9 10 44
Davis — 10 3 11 10 34
ML — Loera 16, Abby Rathbun 10, Olson 9, Sandmann 6, Mayo 3