Big 9 Champions, Moses Lake, look to ride momemtum to Tacoma

MOSES LAKE — One goal got checked off the list for the Chiefs on Friday night as they cut down their home nets, claiming the District 6 championship over Sunnyside 54-44.

Next up for the Chiefs, a win or go home game against 16th-seeded Decatur on Saturday, 4 p.m., at Big Bend Community College.

Moses Lake’s roster features a blend of underclassmen led by five seniors who head into their final postseason run with Moses Lake with their eyes on the Tacoma Dome.

Senior forward Farrya Sandmann said emotions are high on the team after cutting down their nets as district champions on Friday. This senior class, Sandmann said, has been working to this point for a long time.

“We’ve been playing together since fourth grade, the whole senior class,” she said. “I can remember starting out with these girls, and we’ve worked our way up to this.”

Camille Carpenter, another member of the Moses Lake senior quintet, talked about some of the advantages of playing with the same group of players for so long.

“We know what everyone is going to do before they do it, so it kind of helps in that aspect,” she said. “And, even the underclassmen like Anna (Olson), Avery (Gephart), we’ve all played together with them too.”

If they can focus when they need to, and still have fun when they need to have fun, Carpenter said she likes the Chiefs’ chances heading forward.

Moses Lake heads into Friday having won ten straight games, each by double digits.

Senior guard Carlie Gregg said “it helps a lot” being able to come into Saturday riding this momentum.

“When we lose, we get a little down on ourselves, but we always bounce back,” she said. “Being on this win streak, I think we have a lot of confidence in ourselves.”

Gregg talked about what it would mean to be able to cap off her time with these teammates with a state title.

“I’ve been playing with these girls for forever, and this is what we’ve worked towards for I don’t know how many years, since fourth grade,” she said. “It would be awesome to go out with a bang.”

Head coach Matt Strophy called Friday’s win a “gratifying” one over a team from Sunnyside that has challenged the Chiefs all season. Having the chance to cut down the nets in front of the Moses Lake fans, Strophy said “Is always incredibly meaningful.” “The kids worked incredibly hard this year,” he said. “It’s really nice when we have a goal, it’s written down in our locker room. And they can go in there, and they can check it off. And they can do their little video and post it all over social media because they know if they set goals, write them down, keep each other accountable and work hard towards those goals, we can check those boxes.”

Strophy talked about the importance of unity in finding success in the Columbia Basin Big Nine and how it has helped this group set itself apart.

“You have to be together, you have to be friends, you have to like each other, you have to get along because it shows on the basketball court, maybe more than any other sport because you have constant action,” he said.

The Moses Lake coach said he expects “controlled havoc” on Saturday against a team in Decatur that likes to stay aggressive and physical. Strophy said the Chiefs will just have to absorb that, and maintain focus at Big Bend Saturday afternoon.

On the 94-foot floor at Big Bend, Strophy feels the extra space will benefit the Chiefs in creating havoc of their own on the defensive side of the ball. With a veteran group heading up against a young team coming in from three hours away, Strophy said he feels the Chiefs have the edge coming in.

“I think we have the advantage because we’ve been there before, we’ve done that before,” he said. “I’m looking for us to keep our eye on the prize, not get too big of a head, but then also stay focused in and get things accomplished.”

Grabbing the nine seed instead of the eight forced the Chiefs into a loser-out scenario, but kept them from facing top-seeded Woodinville out of the gate.

Strophy said he prefers riding the momentum they’re on and being able to face the low seed as opposed to getting the automatic berth in the Hardwood Classic, but potentially having to rebound from a loss.

“Eight, nine, hey, we get to host, and then we’re coming in off a win,” Strophy said. “I love the odds there, I love the positivity in those two things.”