Mavs boys take advantage of turnovers

MOSES LAKE — The Mavericks boys were able to capitalize off of numerous Pasco turnovers in Tuesday’s 69-25 win over the Bulldogs, playing well in transition while locking down on defense in the second half.

Tuesday’s win was Moses Lake’s second of the young season, improving to 2-4.

“We’ve had some ups and downs, had a pretty rough start as far as non-league games, but I was super impressed with how they bounced back and fought through adversity,” Moses Lake coach Jake Hunt said. “We had a solid win on Friday against a good Ellensburg team, and then going into the buzzsaw of Davis, a top-10 team in the state right there.”

The first basket of the game came off a shot by Maverick sophomore Grady Walker, jumpstarting an 11-4 Moses Lake run to open the game. The Mavs forced six turnovers in the first quarter, going up 22-13 after the first frame.

Pasco was able to cut the Maverick lead to six points early in the second quarter before Moses Lake stepped on the gas, outscoring the Bulldogs 16-4 down the stretch of the first half.

“We just talked about, ‘Hey, it’s getting a little bit sloppy right now,’” Hunt said. “‘Pull it back in, stay in our system — the way we like to play — and just let it happen, let it roll.’ I’m super impressed with how they did that, and once they did it was just a steamroll. Super fun to watch those guys compete like that.”

The Mavs turned up the defensive effort in the second half, intercepting Pasco's passes and running them down the floor for layups in transition. In the third quarter, Moses Lake forced 10 turnovers and didn’t allow a single Bulldog point.

“The game plan was to get out and run,” sophomore Tyce Miller said. “Swing the ball, hit open shots.”

Shotmaking translates to defensive play, Miller added.

“When shots are going down the intensity goes up on defense,” Miller said. 

The second half began with Moses Lake forcing four turnovers within the first two minutes of the third quarter.

“They’re playing on their heels all the time,” Hunt said. “Even if we didn't get a turnover, we got something in the frontcourt that turned into something positive. I thought our energy was lights-out tonight.”

Pasco’s first basket of the second half came on a three-pointer with 7:23 remaining in the fourth quarter, with the Mavericks already well in grasp of the game’s outcome.

“I told them tonight before the game, ‘Play loose, let’s have fun and let’s get after it,’” Hunt said. “They rolled with it, and I think that’s their character.”

Miller led the Mavs with 15 points on Tuesday night, closely followed by sophomore Kyre Wiltbank with 13. Sophomore Carter Anderson scored 12 points, Walker finished the game with eight points and sophomore Brady Jay scored seven.

Moses Lake travels to Wenatchee on Friday at 7 p.m. and hosts Sunnyside on Saturday at 6 p.m.

Ian Bivona may be reached at ibivona@columbiabasinherald.com.

Box score

PASC: 13-9-0-3 25
MSLK: 22-18-16-13 69

    Moses Lake sophomore Grady Walker (15) lays the ball in for a basket in the first quarter against Pasco.
  

    Moses Lake sophomore Brady Jay, in white, gets past a Pasco defender in the second quarter.