PASCO, Wash. — The Moses Lake boys basketball team made important strides this season, but inexperience doomed the Chiefs.

Following Saturday’s 72-53 loss at Eisenhower, the Chiefs traveled to Pasco Tuesday night to play the Bulldogs in a loser-out district playoff game.

In the end, the Bulldogs’ bite was worse than their bark as Pasco routed the Chiefs 93-68 to eliminate Moses Lake from the postseason.

Moses Lake head coach Rolland Hansen said his team struggled defensively in Pasco.

“Defensively we weren’t ready to play,” he said. “They went backdoor on us. They extended us a lot and we got away from the game plan.”

Although the Chiefs didn’t qualify for the regional tournament, Hansen said his program showed signs of brilliance heading into next season.

“The guys are heading in the right direction,” he said. “We had some guys who went from junior varsity subs to varsity starters. The inexperience got to us.”

Moses Lake senior and Chiefs all-time leading scorer Josh Loera led the way with 25 points and senior Isac Bergeson added 16 points.

Despite losing their two district playoff games, Hansen said his team has a lot to look back on.

“I thought the kids had a lot to be proud of,” he said. “We finished the season real strong to get to the playoffs. They started to come together (as a team) late in the season. It’s too bad we don’t have more time.”

The Chiefs improved to 6-6 in conference play this season, a four-game improvement from last year’s 2-10 mark and Hansen said his team was determined throughout the season.

“They played hard and they practiced hard,” he said. “We have a great young group of kids. They wanted to get to regionals, but Pasco got us.”