MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake Tribe sixth-grade Amateur Athletic Union basketball team finished in the top five of the state competition that was held from March 13-15, taking fourth after a long weekend of play.   

“It was a great experience for our girls. We ended up placing fourth out of 29 teams in the silver division, which is solid for our team,” Head Coach Tom Howard said.   

The Tribe won three straight games by a combined score of 105-39 to reach the semifinals, where they would face Snohomish. There, they were defeated 32-11 and were moved into the third-place game against Omak. They suffered another loss 45-28 to finish fourth in the silver division.   

“It was fun to see them show what they can do,” Howard said. “Everybody played a lot and contributed, and our parents (were) positive and supportive. It was a great experience.”   

Howard said his team gave their best effort throughout the tournament, but after a long weekend and being down a couple of players, they ran out of gas.   

“They were really solid teams, and our girls played really hard. We played Omak (close) for three quarters, and then one of our girls got out, so we had five girls. We basically ran out of gas against Omak, which is a really solid team,” Howard said.   

In the 2025 state competition, Howard and the Tribe said they were pleasantly surprised to have qualified. However, they had their sights set on qualifying and making some noise. It came down to the coaches’ philosophy of attitude, effort and execution.   

“I think it starts with attitude,” he said. “(If) you have a positive attitude and give your best effort, those are two things that are choices. Sometimes your shot might not be falling, but as long as you're staying positive with yourself and not too hard on yourself, and also staying positive (for) your teammates and coaching staff, good things can happen. That rolls up to the coaches; we have to be modeling that too.”   

With the state competition behind them, the Tribe look ahead to another year of development. Before they get started, Howard shared a valuable lesson he learned last year. Most AAU teams go year-round, some of the bigger clubs and select teams even travel around the country to various tournaments. That amount of travel and competing can be taxing on the players, so the Tribe are going to get some much-needed rest, he said.  

“We're taking a break this week to recharge. But really, the next 45 days or so, our plan is really focused on bringing some other experts in, just for something new and fresh, and focusing on skill development,” the coach said.   

In May they will aim to compete in the 3v3 tournament put on during Spring Fest. From there, they will periodically compete in similar tournaments while maintaining a balanced schedule.   

“It's good to let families and teams recharge a bit. I did learn that lesson as a coach last year, that teams need a break, so I want to implement that this year,” Howard said.   

Though a year can seem like a long time, it tends to fly by. As they work toward qualifying for another state competition, Howard is hoping to see his players improve at doing the simple things at a higher level.   

“If you look at the best teams, they do simple things really well,” he said. “For instance, scoring in traffic, or scoring layups in traffic, or shooting a higher percentage of free throws, which really matter in close games.”   

The Tribe is looking to increase its consistency in that regard while also homing in on skill development, said the coach. With a lot of work to be done over the next year, Howard and the Tribe are excited for what the future holds.   

“Just excited for the future, and I'm proud of our girls,” Howard said.   

Moses Lake Tribe roster:   

Name, Jersey   

Kendyl Howard, 0  
Linden Wiltbank, 2
Athena Coleman, 5
Jayani Gordillo, 10
Victoria Aguilar, 15
Maycee Clark, 20
Oaklee Ballard, 22
Bellisima Walker, 23
Hailey Reffett, 24 

    The Tribe takes a team photo after defeating Glacier Bay at the state tournament. They won three straight games to advance to the semifinals in the silver division.
  

    Bellisima Walker (23) plays defense for the Moses Lake Tribe during their state tournament earlier this season.
  

    Maycee Clark (20) finds an opening and takes a shot for the Moses Lake Tribe during their state tournament appearance.