Moses Lake falls to Richland in regional round of Hardwood Classic

PASCO — Moses Lake coach John Hohman and Richland’s Earl Streufert have been playing this chess match for years, going all the way back to when they were both sophomore coaches.

This particular game, Streufert had bigger pieces. The No. 14 Chiefs just didn’t have an answer for 7-foot-3 Richland junior Riley Sorn, falling 84-58 in the regional round of the 4A Hardwood Classic Friday night in front of an estimated crowd of 3,000 people at Chiawana High School in Pasco.

“They’re tough and Earl does a great job with them,” Hohman said. “We knew we were going to have to give up something and we were hoping we could run on them.

“It’s just hard to say good-bye to the two seniors (Ryan Karstetter and Jordan Evers). You love and appreciate the team, but you really love and appreciate their efforts. I’m family friends with the Karstetter’s, so I’ve known Ryan since he was a baby.”

The Chiefs hit No. 11 Richland with everything they had. They pushed, they shoved, they out-rebounded the Mid-Columbia Conference champions, they overcame the Bombers 80-percent shooting effort from the floor in the first quarter.

But the big guy played big. Sorn hovered in the paint with a wingspan that affected every shot. Even if they blew past him, his reach allowed him to change the ball flight and the shot trajectory.

If he wasn’t in their head, he was blocking their shot, allowing the other Richland defenders time to concentrate on the Chiefs perimeter shooters.

The 7-3 junior finished nine blocks, combine that with 9-of-17 from 3-point range and 17-19 from the free-throw line, and the Bombers (19-5) had an answer for everything the Chiefs (13-10) could hit them with.

“I’ve seen (Sorn) in AAU, so we knew were going to get our shot blocked. But we just kept going after him because we weren’t afraid,” said Zach Phillips, who finished with a team-high 20 points. “We worked hard, hit the boards and tried to take advantage of our opportunities.”

On the offensive end, Sorn wasn’t near the dominating force. Three of his four field goals were jams on the post up, but he finished with just 11 points and five rebounds. Gio Walker, a 6-4 junior, did an admirable job on a guy he gave nearly a foot in height to.

“It was hard knowing he had a chance to block every shot you take,” said Walker, who finished with 13 points and seven rebounds. “It just seems like he was everywhere getting blocks. We had faith we had more energy than them, we just had to keep shooting.”

Walker did have his shot blocked in third quarter, but chased down the rebound, then turned and scored on a six-foot jumper over the top of the leaping Richland post.

It could have gotten away early. The Bombers shot 80 percent (8-of-10) from the field in the first eight minutes, while the Chiefs got off to a 4-of-16 start (25 percent). Moses Lake has been to the regional round three of the past four years, so they knew to just keep slugging.

Phillips went on a little tear to start the second half with three consecutive baskets, including a steal against Sorn.

“I thought that gave us a burst of energy,” Phillips said. “We just kept going at them.”

Moses Lake closed to 50-44 with another steal and a basket by sophomore Evan McLean with just under a minute left in the third quarter. A stop here, a 3-pointer there would have gave it a different feel. But Richland senior Tyler Kurtz answered with a 25-footer at the buzzer to make it a nine-point difference after three quarters.

The Bombers finished with a 31-point fourth quarter and a 10-2 run to close out the Chiefs’ season. Karstetter finished with six points and seven rebounds. Richland’s Tyler Kurtz led all scorers with 28.

Score by quarters

Moses Lake 9 13 22 14 - 58

Richland 21 15 17 31 - 84

Moses Lake - Cory Kunjara 3, Evan McLean 12, Zach Phillips 20, Gio Walker 13, Ryan Karstetter 6, Vance Alvarado 2, Kyle Karstetter 2. Totals - Field goals: 22. 3-point goals: 7. Free throws: 7-11. Score: 58

Richland - Paxton Stevens 3, Ryan Wagnar 12, Cody Sanderson 15, Colby Christensen 3, Tyler Kurtz 28, Cole Northrop 8, Garrett Streufert 4, Riley Sorn 11. Totals - Field goals: 29. 3-point goals: 9. Free throws: 17-19. Score: 84