Moses Lake advances to state quarterfinals

TACOMA — Moses Lake has been at its most successful when the scoring is balanced and the defense is swarming.

Head coach Matt Strophy wasn’t sure if they were firing on “all cylinders,” but he thought they were pretty close today in a 61-43 opening-round win against Rogers of Puyallup at the Class 4A Girls Hardwood Classic.

“It just started with some consistency,” he said.

The Chiefs entered Wednesday’s loser-out game with a heightened focus on rebounding and physicality. Columbia Basin Big Nine Player of the Year Madisyn Clark dove for loose balls; so did fellow senior Camille Carpenter. It was a total team effort against a Rams squad that only lost by six points to top-ranked Woodinville during last weekend’s regional round. The Chiefs won the rebounding battle by nine and built an early lead.

“I think that was a big confidence-booster for us,” Strophy said.

Rogers, known for its guard-play, was limited to funneling the ball to leading scorer Raigan Barrett. Barrett hoisted 28 shots, making 10, and led her team with 26 points; the next closest Ram had six. Rogers shot less than 30 percent from the floor and 10 percent from behind the 3-point line.

“I’d like to think that had to do with some of our defense,” Strophy said.

Conversely, Moses Lake was efficient on offense, pushing the ball when it was available and executing in the half-court when the game slowed down. The Chiefs assisted on 14 of their 23 made baskets.

The scoring numbers reflected the balance. Clark had a team-high 16 points and five assists. Anna Olson scored 15 points, while Carpenter and Meagan Karstetter added nine apiece.

Moses Lake will play Union in the state quarterfinals today at 2 p.m.

Score by quarters

ML 18 15 19 9 — 61

R 14 7 17 5 — 43

Moses Lake scoring: Madisyn Clark 16, Anna Olson 15, Camille Carpenter 9, Meagan Karstetter 9, Gabi Rios 5, Olivia Waites 5, Farrya Sandmann 2.