Medical Lake Pounds Out State A Berth

Leave it to a 245-pound running back to power his way up the middle and vault his Medical Lake team into the boys State A high school basketball tournament.

Brandon Moore was the man Saturday night, scoring a game-high 17 points in the Cardinals’ 45-43 win over Chewelah in the Northeast A District high school tournament consolation championship at Mead High School.

Moore, a 6-foot-2 junior forward who also suits up as a fullback and first baseman, scored nine of his team’s 18 third-quarter points to help erase a 25-17 halftime deficit.

Guard Carlos Simmons made 3 of 5 free throws in the final 39 seconds to ice the win.

“Brandon Moore was the factor in the game,” said Chewelah coach Drew Landram, whose team finished the season at 16-9.

Moore willingly concurred.

“I really came through,” he said. “But I was struggling in the first half.”

All first-half faux pas (7-of-25 team shooting) were forgotten for Moore and the Cardinals (18-6), who will return to the state tournament in Tacoma after a one-year absence. It was the fifth time the two teams met this year, ML winning three times.

But Saturday’s game took a second-half comeback to do so.

“I think our half-court press in the second half hurt them,” Medical Lake coach Dave Olzendam said. “We knew we had to pick it up defensively.”

And his team responded by holding the Cougars to 3-of-12 shooting in the third quarter, coupled with Moore’s powerful inside play. Simmons, who finished with 16 points, dished out some perfect entry passes that helped swing the momentum.

The Cardinals took their first lead at 26-25 on Moore’s basket assisted by Simmons 1-1/2 minutes into the second half.

There were four lead changes and two ties after that. Chewelah’s last lead was 40-39 with 4:45 left when Travis Meserve hit a 3-pointer.

But Chewelah had chances in the final minutes, especially when it had the ball with 29 seconds left and trailing 43-40. While Steve Wissink attempted to set up a play on the perimeter, he was called for traveling.

The Cougars had another chance for the tie with 4 seconds remaining, but Meserve shot an airball.

The State A pairings will be announced today. The NEA tournament champion Lakeside boys and girls will enter as the league’s No. 1 seeds.

Medical Lake 45, Chewelah 43

Medical Lake 8 9 18 10 - 45

Chewelah 13 12 6 12 - 43

MEDICAL LAKE Jackson 6, Brown 0, Headlee 0, Shirley 0, Simmons 16, Meeks 0, Miller 4, Bahr 0, Campbell 0, Nichols 2, V.Moore 0, B.Moore 17.

CHEWELAH Forsberg 9, Nitschke 6, Meserve 9, Miller 0, Edwards 0, Wissink 4, Landram 3, Kinley 0, Churape 0, Sunday 8, Parrish 4.

, DataTimes