MOSES LAKE - Cheers erupted from fans on the sidelines and players dashed off the field to celebrate a close win that wasn't decided until time expired. Neither were Chiefs fans or players.

Moses Lake suffered its second loss of the season to Wenatchee on Friday, 13-10.

"It was an emotional game," head coach Todd Griffith said. "Emotions were high, kids were playing hard, guys were flying around, tempers were flaring and those kind of things happen and I think our defense just played one of their better games."

The Panthers were able to advance the ball down to the Chiefs' two yard line with two seconds remaining before calling their final timeout and kicking the game-winning field goal.

"When you're in games like that yards are at a premium and you've just got to try and take advantage of the ones you can get," Griffith said. "They played pretty good defense against us and we played great defense against them."

Friday's loss drops Moses Lake to 5-2 in the Columbia Basin Big 9 and 6-2 overall.

The two teams traded possessions in the first quarter without any points scored. Wenatchee attempted a 38-yard field goal with 1:46 remaining in the first quarter, but the ball sailed to the left of the uprights.

The tie was broken early in the second quarter when Wenatchee quarterback Dillon Sugg completed a 42-yard pass that set the Panthers up inside the Chiefs' redzone. From there, Big 9 leading rusher Isaiah Brandt-Sims took a delayed handoff into the endzone from 11 yards out. A made extra point gave Wenatchee a 7-0 lead with 10:55 left in the second quarter.

Griffith knew that for Moses Lake to have a chance to win Brandt-Sims had to be corralled and despite totalling 165 yards from scrimmage, he thought his defense played him well.

"He's a good football player, he's going to get his yards," he said. "But he didn't chunk them off. He had to work for them."

The Chiefs responded with a 69-yard touchdown drive with about four minutes remaining in the half. The drive began with a 14-yard rush by junior running back Nathan Ball and Moses Lake eventually advanced the ball into the Wenatchee redzone before facing a fourth down and three.

Junior quarterback Easton Castro was able to draw the Panther defense offsides using a hard count and senior running back Jordan Lacelle scored an 8-yard touchdown with 57 seconds left in the half on the ensuing play. Lacelle finished with 61 rushing yards.

A week removed from throwing for 259 yards and four touchdowns, Castro struggled with his accuracy passing for only 40 yards.

"He had a couple throws he'd probably like to have back," Griffith said. "But for the most part he got the ball in the hands of the people we needed to and did an excellent job reading in our run game."

Junior kicker Rehn Reiley tacked on a 25-yard field goal late in the third quarter to give Moses Lake the lead, 10-7. After forcing Wenatchee to punt on their next series, the Chiefs fumbled and gave the Panthers a short field. Wenatchee took advantage and kicked a 34-yard field goal to tie the game, 10-10.

Moses Lake had the chance to drive for the go-ahead score, but missed opportunities and several costly penalties stalled its drive and with 30 seconds left in the game the Chiefs punted.

It took the Panthers two plays to get into field goal range.

Brandt-Sims took a handoff and advanced the ball near midfield and a completed halfback pass on the next play took the ball down to the two yard line with two seconds left. Wenatchee was able to convert the chip shot field goal and escape Lions Field with a 13-10 win.

Griffith says it's up to his players to move on quickly from Friday's loss.

"We're on a playoff run right now," Griffith said. "We have to win and there is no time for that. We're going to coach just like we coached against Wenatchee against Davis."