Emerald Ridge wins first state basketball tournament game in school history, defeating Moses Lake, 44-34
They say defense wins championships, and if that’s the case, the Emerald Ridge girls basketball team might be poised for a deep run in the Class 4A state basketball tournament at the Tacoma Dome this week.
The Jaguars, the tournament’s No. 6 seed, completely stifled No. 14 Moses Lake’s offense in an 44-34 opening round win in the first game of the state tournament on Wednesday morning, applying constant pressure to Moses Lake’s ball handlers and rarely allowing their opponents to comfortably run their half-court offense.
“At first, we were a little slow on defense,” said Emerald Ridge guard Monique Carter, who had nine points in the win. “Coach (Arvin Mosley) was on us to make sure we do what we can do and we just went out and executed.”
The win was the program’s first state tournament win in the school’s history.
“It means a lot,” Carter said. “It means a lot to have our fans here, they filled up the whole charter bus and brought their own cars. They’re just really dedicated to us and we appreciate it.”
Mosley, who took over coaching the team in December, said Emerald Ridge was ready to go from the tip of the 9 a.m. game.
“I didn’t think it was tough, honestly,” he said. “I felt our girls showed up ready to go. I think it’s tough playing in an environment like this in terms of the spacing and the lighting. But execution-wise, I thought our girls did a phenomenal job sticking to our game plan and playing within ourselves. It feels great to win the first one in school history, but I don’t have 15 years of futility under my belt.”
Emerald Ridge played sloppy at times, turning the ball over 13 times in the win. The Jaguars know they’ll need to play cleaner in the quarterfinal round on Thursday.
“Coach says we always have to tighten it up,” Carter said. “I feel like if we’re all playing together, communicating and talking, we know what to do.”
Moses Lake had cut the lead to three points in the fourth quarter, trailing 35-32. That’s when Carter took over, making consecutive layups and drawing fouls on each, converting the three-point play on the second opportunity. Carter has been nursing an ankle injury for much of the season, limiting her time on the floor. On Wednesday, she looked just fine.
“She works for it,” Mosley said. “She hasn’t had as much explosiveness throughout the year as we’ve wanted, with her ankle injury. She showed up to play tonight. There’s a reason why she’s the MVP of the league and our starting PG. The energy she brings on both ends, too. I was really impressed with her effort defensively today.”
Kali Haizlip and Maya Barnett each scored a team-high 10 points for the Jaguars. Moses Lake’s Teagan Wiltbank led the Chiefs with a game-high 14 points. Emerald Ridge will face Eastlake in a quarterfinal game at 9 a.m. on Thursday.
This story was originally published March 2, 2022 at 11:28 AM.
