MOSES LAKE — You could hear it coming, like a storm on the distant horizon, like wind blowing through the buffalo grass.

Each step moved closer to the inevitable, Thursday night's wrestling match was going to go down to the last standing in the last match of the night. Othello's Reese Jones finished with a tissue in his right nostril to stop the blood flow. Moses Lake's Beau Mauseth remained on the mat long after the final whistle, dealing with leg cramp.

“It was too scary to be fun,” Jones said of his 3-2 victory over Mauseth in the 170-pound match.

Tri-State champion Hunter Cruz gave the Chiefs a four-point edge going into the final match with a major decision over Bernie Garza Jr. For the second match in a row, the Huskies went into the final match of the night needing a pin, having done the same thing against defending 2A state champion Toppenish on Wednesday.

Jones had the speed. Mauseth had the muscle, and the final six minutes of Moses Lake's 32-31 victory was everything Columbia Basin wrestling fans could hope for. Mauseth had beaten Jones at the jamboree in their only previous meeting. It was game-on as two experienced guys worked for a shot that would more than likely decide the match.

It went scoreless into the third period. All the points were scored in the last minute, 43 seconds. Jones scored first with a reversal seven seconds into the final round. Mauseth tied it up with a tak-down with his own reversal with over a minute left.

“In the third round, I was confident in my shot because I knew he was more defensive than I was,” Mauseth said. “I tried to push the pace and get some shots in, but he's a very defensive guy and he got the best. I'm a little disappointed that I didn't get the win, but I knew we had a four-point difference going in. I'm happy we won the match.”

Lose the battle, but win the war, but what a battle it was.

Mauseth evened things up at 1:01 and it became clear that one mistake would make the difference as well as one great move.

“I knew this was coming. This match was about no mistakes,” said Jones, who placed third at the Tri-State tournament and second in last year's 2A state championship. “You can't wrestle scared, so it was about confidence. He was stronger than me and I worked to make everything count.”

The Moses Lake crowd groaned when the referee waved off points as the two scrambled out of the circle with 40 seconds to go. Jones worked an escape with 19 seconds left in regulation and it proved to be the margin of victory and the margin of defeat.

Jones won the battle, but Othello lost the war in a 32-31 loss that proved they can wrestle with one of the best wrestling programs in Washington state.

Christmas came early for Columbia Basin wrestling fans. It was a good way to close out a good night of wrestling and a good way to close out the first half of the high school wrestling season.