MOSES LAKE — Moses Lake girls basketball opened up their season with a 66-64 victory over Mt. Spokane at home.

The visiting Wildcats jumped out ahead early, before the Chiefs were able to pull within four at the end of the 1st quarter at 14-10. Mt. Spokane jumped out ahead again in the second as the Chiefs struggled to get their offense started.

The Chiefs went into the locker room down double figures at 33-20. Moses Lake was able to go on a run in the early part of the 3rd quarter, fueled by Madisyn Clark and Camille Carpenter.

The game entered the fourth quarter tied at 44-44.

The game remained neck-and-neck for most of the fourth quarter as the Chiefs were never able to pull away from the Wildcats. With time winding down, Anna Olson was able to find a way to the basket for the go-ahead bucket with less than a second remaining.

Moses Lake sealed the victory with a steal on the inbound pass to open the season at 1-0. Clark led the way for the Chiefs with a big second half, finishing with 20 points, five assists, three steals and a rebound.

Camille Carpenter also played well, finishing with 11 points, six rebounds, three assists, and four steals. Anna Olson finished with 13 points and a pair of steals. Meagan Karstetter finished with 12 points and three rebounds off the bench for the Chiefs.

Chiefs head coach Matt Strophy said he talked with his players about mental toughness at halftime. Strophy said once the girls were able to make a few runs and get their minds right, things started to pick up.

“It demonstrates a little resiliency,” Strophy said. “We’ve been talking about ‘next play,’ whether it’s a good thing or a bad thing, and I think there were a couple of times we allowed it to get in our head. But the second half, I think we were able to get that corrected.”

The Moses Lake head coach said just about everyone on the team came up with a big bucket for the Chiefs at some point. Karstetter and Gabi Rios were two players Strophy mentioned for their play in the win.

Coming up big in the win, Strophy said he was most impressed with the defense that Clark was able to play in the win.

“We didn’t match up with them particularly well, and she battled inside playing post defense and she did a good job,” Strophy said

With plenty of upperclassmen on the roster to begin the season, Strophy said the veterans helped them fight off the cold start.

“The experience kid of showed with the returners we have and the situations that we’ve been in last season and this summer,” Strophy said.

Moving forward after the win, the Moses Lake head coach said he has plenty of things he wants to work on with his group from the game, focusing primarily on defensive footwork and rebounding.