Moses Lake bests Eisenhower 59-23

MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake Mavericks defeated Eisenhower on Saturday 59-23, improving their overall record to 9-10. 

Head Coach Matt Strophy said he was very pleased with their performance throughout the game. The Mavericks held complete control of the first half, ending the second quarter with a score of 33-3. 

“We talked about setting the tone early and we did that,” Strophy said. “I think defensively we really were dialed in.”

Eisenhower was able to garner more points in the second half, but the Mavs were still able to keep up the pace on both sides of the ball. Strophy attributed part of their success to their new mindset of self-improvement.

“I tried to tell them, ‘Hey, we’re not playing (Eisenhower), we're playing basketball, so no matter who our opponent is let's work on being the best version of ourselves,’” he said.

Strophy noted that the maturity and focus that the girls had gained throughout the season were especially at play during this game. In the past few games, the Mavs were able to take care of the ball exceptionally well.

“The thing I’m most pleased about I think is just that mental focus and knowing and understanding this late in the season … how long the season is, the marathon of it and how mentally we need to stay dialed in and we did tonight,” he said.

Following Saturday’s victory the Mavs have already begun looking forward to their next few games against West Valley and Eastmont as they get ready for the district tournament. Both teams are ahead of the Mavs in conference play but will have to play Moses Lake at home.

“We kind of control our own destiny,” he said. “If we lose to them we’ll finish fourth, if we beat them we can jump up to third, maybe second,” he said.

The most important thing the Mavs can do moving forward, according to Strophy, is to continue focusing on themselves.

“If we can take care of ourselves and focus on what we do and how well we do it I think we’re gonna be fine,” he said. “I think at home if we get good crowds and the band is here and we get the energy then I think we’ve got a fighting chance to finish third on conference play as we head into district tournament.” 

The Mavs will face West Valley at 5:30 p.m. Friday and Eastmont at 4:30 p.m. Saturday.

Caleb Perez may be reached at cperez@columbiabasinherald.com. Perez is a resident of Moses Lake and a graduate of Big Bend Community College.

    Moses Lake senior Lexi Cox (14) shoots one of her many layups in the Mavericks’ game against Eisenhower Saturday.
  

    A major key to the Mavs’ success on Saturday was their ability to protect the ball and make opportunities for points.