MOSES LAKE – The Moses Lake Mavericks played in a close matchup against fellow 4A team in the Ferris Saxons, but fell 63-64. The two teams fought hard through all four quarters, but ultimately the Mavs would come just short of a victory. 

“It was a tough game, real close from the start all the way to the finish,” said Mavs head coach Craig Groth. “Both teams played well and it just came down to they just made a couple more plays down the stretch than we did.” 

The competitive matchup started strong from the very beginning as the Mavs quickly took a lead over Ferris, but the opposition would quickly bounce back to tie the game at 18. In the last seconds of the first quarter, Mavs senior Brady Jay would make a buzzer-beating three to put the team back in the lead. 

The response from the Saxons in the second quarter would be swift as they would outscore the Mavs by three to tie the game up by halftime. 

Coming out of the half, the two teams would continue their close battle with Ferris gaining one point over Moses Lake by the end of the third quarter. The game remained close in the third quarter as they both scored 14, which would keep the Mavs just one point under Ferris, ending the game 63-64. 

Groth said each of the players did a great job balancing out the team and putting in the work against Ferris. Jay kept up with scoring, Kyre Wiltbank did a good job moving the ball, Grady Walker had some great rebounds in the second half, Caden Barney stayed persistent in attacking the hoop and Tyce stayed consistent in draining threes, especially in the second half, which opened things up for the rest of the team. 

“Proud of our guys for fighting as hard as we did, especially coming off of Thursday’s triple overtime game,” he said. “We still had energy, we just kind of wore down a little bit down the stretch.” 

Coming off a busy first week of competition, the Mavs will have a few extra days of practice this week to focus on some of the aspects of the game they still need to work on. The coach said one of the key takeaways for Moses Lake following the game against Ferris is to learn to value their possessions.  

He said one thing that the Mavs have already been showing improvement in understanding how one possession can affect the outcome of a game and as they move forward in the season, this will only increase in importance. This will work alongside the team’s goal of maintaining high intensity for a full four quarters. 

“Our guys, they love to play in games, we all do, but getting out and bringing the intensity, realizing how important these games are, the guys are doing a good job of bringing it,” said Groth. 

Moses Lake is hoping to continue their improvement into the next game of nonleague play against Ellensburg and following Ellensburg, the Mavs will begin league play against Wenatchee and Eisenhower this weekend. The coach said the first few matchups of the season were all important in showing the team where they are at and what they can work on. 

“We found out what we’re capable of doing and just with the new guys coming in, building on the system from last year,” said Groth. “They’re starting to get more comfortable and now we just have to continually build that chemistry.” 

The Mavs prepare for another nonleague match as they head on the road to face Ellensburg on Tuesday at 7 p.m.  

BOX SCORE:  

MLHS: 21-13-15-14: 63 

FRRS: 18-16-16-14: 64

    Grady Walker, a senior from the Mavs takes the ball down the court toward the hoop after gaining possession of the ball during Friday’s game against Ferris.
  

    Junior Tag Rathbun from Moses Lake shoots a free throw following a foul during the first quarter against Ferris.
  

    Caden Barney, an MLHS junior, shoots a free throw during Friday’s game against Ferris.
  

    MLHS senior Kyre Wiltbank weaves through defending Ferris players as he goes in for the layup during Friday’s matchup.