Madisyn Clark's 21 points helps Moses Lake hold off King's
Connor Vanderweyst/Columbia Basin Herald Moses Lake guard Madisyn Clark (24) puts up a shot over King's defender Ashley Gray.
Connor Vanderweyst/Columbia Basin Herald Moses Lake forward Victoria Hernandez drives baseline against King's defender Mia Flor.
Connor Vanderweyst/Columbia Basin Herald Moses Lake's Camille Carpenter tracks down the opening tip in front of King's guard Jada Wynn.
Connor Vanderweyst/Columbia Basin Herald Moses Lake guard Madisyn Clark finds room between two King's defenders to keep her dribble alive.
Connor Vanderweyst/Columbia Basin Herald Moses Lake's Camille Carpenter (center) fights for rebounding position between King's players Jadyn Kirton (40) and Dominique Kirton (1).
Connor Vanderweyst/Columbia Basin Herald With starters in foul trouble, Moses Lake sophomore Anna Olson came off the bench to score 12 points against King's.
MOSES LAKE — Madisyn Clark picked up her fourth foul 11 seconds into the fourth quarter and had to reenter the game at the 5:22 mark when backcourt mate Kiara McPartland fouled out.
Despite the rampant whistles, Clark was able to stay on the floor, score seven of her team-high 21 points in the fourth quarter and help Moses Lake pick up its first win of the season against King’s 54-49.
“I just needed to relax,” she said. “Everyone was in foul trouble so I just had to compose myself and the other girls who were in, build their confidence up.”
Foul trouble was the prevailing theme of the evening as starters McPartland, Camille Carpenter and Brecka Erdmann were whistled for two fouls apiece early in the first quarter. Moses Lake head coach Matt Strophy said his team would need more balanced scoring after the graduation of Division I prospects Jamie Loera and Abby Rathbun. That theory was put to the test right away and the bench delivered with 14 first-half points.
Anna Olson led the reserves with 12 points, including a clutch 3-pointer from the left wing that increased Moses Lake’s lead to 52-43 in the fourth after King’s had tied the game, 41-41, earlier in the quarter.
“We’ve got starter Madi Clark playing all 16 minutes (in the first half), but then having those girls come off the bench — Gabi Rios doing a nice job, Anna Olson stepped up big time and our post rotation was solid. Farrya Sandmann came in and hit that three. It feels good when we know we can go eight, nine, ten deep. It makes us feel a little better.
“When we can do that through adversity and maintain the lead and get the victory I think that gives us confidence moving forward.”
King’s jumped ahead 8-2 in the first quarter before Sandmann and Olson made consecutive 3-pointers to erase the deficit. A Clark lay-up to end the first kept the score even, 13-13.
Moses Lake took the lead on an Olson corner 3 to start the second quarter. King’s rallied to tie the game 41-41 in the fourth quarter and had a chance to take the lead at the free throw line before a shooting foul was changed to a traveling violation.
The Chiefs responded with an 11-2 run to build a cushion late in the game. King’s closed to within five points, but could not set up a game-tying or go-ahead possession.
“That was huge in our favor and I’m just glad the girls were able to keep their composure enough,” Strophy said.